There are many ways to 'lure' children into loving books

These include building a recycling library in the school yard, opening a contest to share good books online, reading books to receive gifts... These methods are creating positive changes.

Bookshelves named "Happiness"

At recess, Hai Chau - a grade 3/2 student at Nui Thanh Primary School (Hai Chau district, Da Nang) - and her group of friends ran to a yard on the side of the school. Excitedly choosing her favorite book from the cabinet on the wall, Hai Chau sat and read passionately with her friends. 

"I like reading books very much, and especially like reading in outdoor, colorful library spaces like this" - Hai Chau said.

The library that Hai Chau talked about simply took newly painted wheels and assembled them into seats. Students sit next to the trees, under the cool foliage, freely choosing books from shelves and cabinets made of recycled corrugated iron and old wooden boards. 

That library has attracted countless generations of students from Nui Thanh Primary School over the years.

The special library from the ideas of school teachers is called "Happiness". Not only books, on the walls covered with patchy moss are "transformed" into folk paintings, corners decorated with lively plant pots from recycled items. 

School teachers said the "Happiness Library" not only encourages students to read books but also nurtures a love for plants and trees, and an appreciation for natural and traditional values.

At Le Dinh Chinh Primary School (Hai Chau district), book shelves are placed right in the corner of each classroom. Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Nguyet - school principal - said: "In each classroom there will be a bookshelf named Happiness. There, students will exchange their favorite books with their classmates. Parents also help contribute good books for their children."

In addition, teachers at Le Dinh Chinh Primary School often organize many reading periods to attract students to be more passionate about books. In the principal's New Year's letter to her students, Ms. Nguyet did not forget to remind the students to read a good book during their free days when away from school and friends.

Parents accompany their children

At Luong The Vinh Primary School (Son Tra district), there is a movement that attracts not only students but also parents to participate called "Behind a child's success is the shadow of his parents". 

Accordingly, through the Facebook group set up by the school, parents will record and post to the group videos of their children introducing themselves, sharing and reading their favorite books. There are parents who read books with their children and post these adorable moments.

According to Ms. Vo Thi My Thu - principal of the school, this movement not only makes students more excited about reading but also trains their skills. 

Ms. Thu said that initially she only expected each student to post 1-2 videos/week. But the results really surprised the teachers when after only six months of launching, there were more than 500 parents participating out of a total of 740 students in the school. 

The number of videos posted increased steadily, up to thousands of videos. Some parents have posted more than 1.500 posts, proving that the number of books their children read is huge.

“After more than six months of launching the movement, I noticed more students going to the library. The camera angles posted by parents show that children reading books anytime, anywhere, and children with weak reading skills have also improved. 

Many children with signs of autism and hyperactivity also participate in reading, parents accompany their children and respond that their children's condition has improved very well thanks to reading," Ms. Thu shared.

In addition, the school also gives gifts to students who read a lot and with good quality during the month. Children receive rewards such as books, reading culture ambassador logos or library tours outside the school... to encourage students to read books.

Ms. Hai Yen - parent of a child in grade 4, Luong The Vinh Primary School - said: "It's surprising that my child is more confident after a few reading videos. At first, my parents helped me record videos, but later I took the initiative in how to position the camera to get the best shooting angle. The way I introduced myself and the topic of the book I was reading was also much more confident and bold."

Ms. Yen and many other parents also said that this activity helps their children limit watching phones, TV, and playing games after school. Instead, proactively and enthusiastically ask your parents to turn on the video recorder and read books to join you.