The seminar was attended by 3 speakers: Ms. Thanh Truc - Master of Library & Information Science, Simmons University (USA), Ms. Kim Thoa - CEO of Tan Viet Books and Tan Viet Bookstore system, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai - Diamond seeker.
3 women - one dubbed "people who ignite the culture of reading in the community", one inspiring through academic videos and one passionate about projects to bring books to the library - have brought an open and exciting exchange space, emphasizing the importance of "sewing seeds" of reading love for children.
From the perspective of book makers and educators, the story of reading culture was given a frank but also thoughtful assessment by CEO Kim Thoa: When children do not like to read books, the fault is not with children, but starting from adults.
This view quickly received the consensus of many participating parents. Because in reality, many families want their children to read books, but have never created a true reading environment in their own homes.
According to Ms. Kim Thoa, reading culture is not something that can be "taught" in a few sessions, but a habit that needs to be "sewn" very early. A child can hardly love books if they do not have books around them, no reading corner, and no reading model from their parents.
According to Ms. Kim Thoa, reading culture cannot be formed naturally if the family lacks a reading environment. A child can hardly love books without a reading corner, without a bookshelf and without an adult role model, especially a mother.
Not only stopping at theory, CEO Kim Thoa also offers very specific solutions: Creating reading corners in the house, setting goals for children, increasing interaction and turning reading into a fun experience instead of pressure.
Agreeing with this view, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai - the person who sows diamond seeds - also affirmed her desire to find ways to make millions of families have bookshelves. With more than 30 years of working as a lecturer at the University of Pedagogy, a poor family, 5 older brothers only finished 3rd grade, only herself went to school, so Ms. Hai always wants to sow seeds of knowledge for children, especially through reading activities. Besides, she believes that wise parents who want to teach their children to become talented must be reading ambassadors.
In addition, Ms. Thanh Truc - Master of Library Science & Information, Simmons University (USA) shared that not every book is a good book, not every author knows how to use appropriate language because there are families with more than 1,000 books but do not know which good book to choose for their children to read. According to Ms. Truc, reading brings a lot of value but also needs to pay attention to the method of choosing books to read.
One of the contents that received much attention at the seminar was the question: Should children be exposed to electronic devices early? Speakers all agreed that, in the current context, children's exposure to technology is inevitable. However, without balance, children are very easily drawn into the world of screens and gradually lose their ability to concentrate - something that reading can compensate for.
Therefore, building reading habits not only helps children absorb knowledge, but is also a way to train concentration, deep thinking and patience - skills that are increasingly important in the digital age.
The seminar closed, but the question remains for each parent: If we don't start today, are we missing the best time for our children? Because reading culture is not a skill that can be "compensated" later. It is a habit that needs to be sown early and grow up with each child, silently but persistently.
