Hindi reading at home: from matras to stories

Why Hindi reading is worth the time

Hindi is a language of school, of stories, of newspapers and of daily life for millions of families. Children who read it comfortably gain a richer vocabulary, a link to their culture and a skill that helps in other Indian languages written in related scripts. Many parents find that their child reads English fluently but trips over matras in Hindi. A short daily habit can fix this.

The advice below also works for Marathi, Nepali and other languages that use the Devanagari script. For other scripts, the same ideas apply: sounds first, then words, then stories.

Begin with sounds: swar and vyanjan

Before matras, make sure your child knows the swar (vowels) and the vyanjan (consonants) well, both the shape and the sound. Say each sound clearly and ask your child to repeat. Use a chart on the wall, and point to a letter at random for a quick game. Every day, practise five letters until they are confident, then add more.

Tracing letters on a plate of rice or salt, drawing them in the air and making them from clay or rope give the hand and the eye extra practice. The free lessons on swar and matras and on vyanjan in the kids library have simple pictures and practice sheets for this stage.

Matras: one at a time

Matras are where most children find Hindi difficult, because the same consonant changes its sound with each one. Teach them as a pattern. Take a consonant, such as क, and add each matra in turn: का, कि, की, कु, कू, के, कै, को, कौ. Say the sounds aloud, and make a small row of words with each matra: कमल, कान, किला, कीला, कुआँ, कूद. Spend a week on one matra before moving on. Make a card game: put consonants on one set of cards and matras on another, and match them to make words.

Remember also the anusvara, chandrabindu, visarga and halant, which come later. Children usually get there faster once the basic matras are comfortable.

From words to sentences

Move from single words to short sentences quickly, so that reading has a meaning. Start with simple three or four word sentences and use names and objects from the child's day: राम आम खाता है। Label objects in the house in Hindi. Read the shop boards, bus boards and station names aloud on your journeys. Newspapers and children's magazines have large headlines that are good practice.

Ask your child to read to you every day for ten minutes, even if you do not read Hindi well. Listen, and ask what the story was about. If a word is wrong, say the right one and move on, without breaking the flow.

Stories, poems and songs

Stories and poems make Hindi enjoyable. Read the Panchatantra tales, folk tales and short stories for children. Children love rhymes and poems, and learning one by heart builds fluency and vocabulary. Take turns reading in different voices. Grandparents are a wonderful resource: ask them to tell a story in Hindi, and then ask your child to write the main points.

Games that help

• Antakshari with words: end the next word with the last letter of the previous one.
• Shabd shrinkhala: make a chain of words, each beginning with the last letter of the last.
• Find the matra: pick a page and circle every word with a given matra.
• Opposites and synonyms: play vilom shabd and paryayvachi shabd games over dinner.
• Letter writing: write a short patra to a relative in Hindi.

Link it to the school syllabus

Hindi textbooks at school introduce grammar topics step by step: sangya, sarvanam, visheshan, kriya, ling, vachan, vilom shabd, paryayvachi shabd, viram chinh, patra lekhan, sandhi and samas in the higher classes. The kids library has lessons on these topics, each with short examples and a practice sheet. Use them to revise a topic after it is taught in class, and not as a replacement for the school book.

If reading stays hard

If your child still struggles after steady practice, check the basics: eyesight, hearing, sleep and confidence. Compare reading in Hindi with reading in other languages. If reading is hard in all languages, or letters seem to jump around and the difficulty continues for months, speak to the class teacher and see our article on learning difficulties. A professional can tell you more than guesswork at home can.