Do I Encourage Reading at Home?

Use natural experiences for increasing your child’s knowledge! Do things with your child and talk about them. Take your child on trips or walking tours near your home. Have your child retell an experience and assist her in putting the events in sequential order. Help your child draw a picture about a favorite part of the event & tell why.  Talk with your child! Be genuinely interested in the work your child brings home. Talking about and describing even routine activities helps to build your child’s vocabulary.

Listen to your child! Encourage your child to talk about things he or she has seen or done.

Monitor television and electronics! Children, with parental guidance, should select programs and then watch only those programs.  Limit the T.V. time and electronic games to one hour or less on school days. Instead, encourage reading or other activities, such as, board games, outside play, puzzles, Legos, etc.

Read at home! It is important to let children see “real” people read. Continue reading to your children even when they can read themselves. Let your children know that you value reading as a worthwhile leisure time activity.  Your child’s name is a great starting point for beginning reading skills. Point out words that have the same beginning sound as his name. Example Mike and map start with same sound. Exaggerate the first sound as you say it.

Draw your children’s attention to environmental print! Long before they learn to read words on a page they can read a sign for Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s as well as the word STOP on stop signs.

Read your favorite stories with repetitive text over and over! After she becomes familiar with the story, have your child fill in a word you leave out at the end of a line.

Talk about the feelings of the characters in the story! For example, “How did Max feel when his mother got mad at him in Where the Wild Things Are?”  When you came across something in the text that your child has had an experience with, ask her what that part of the story reminds her about. Ex. This mom and dad took their little boy to the zoo. This part of the story reminds me about when we looked at animals in the zoo.

Read a variety of rhyming books and then play rhyming games with your child! Think of as many words together that follow the same rhyming pattern. Using nonsense words is fun and acceptable! This is a great game to play in the car as you’re traveling.  Reading at bedtime is a wonderful routine. However, make sure your child engages in reading activities at different times of the day since her energy level may be better for acquiring new information.

Build a home library! On special occasions give books and magazines as gifts. In addition, visit your local library regularly with your child and get him/her a library card. Create a “print-rich” environment by including reading material in all areas of your home. For example, children’s cook books in the kitchen; water-proof bath time books in the bathroom; and magazines, newspaper, and story books in other rooms.

Use family games! Games can help develop your children’s vocabulary and comprehension in reading. Board games are a great way to teach and enhance social and literacy skills.  Provide a family reading time as well.

Give positive reinforcement! Tell your child he did a good job. Honest praise increases self-worth. Accept your child for who he is and encourage him to improve within his own ability.