A Few More Tips

Here are a few more ways to read with your child.
1. Invite a "guest reader" to read to your child. You don't have to be the only one to read to and with your child. Encourage siblings to read to each other. Ask friends and neighbors, or other relatives, to share a story with your child too. Older kids will love showing off their reading skills to a younger child. And so will your child. Encourage him to read to a younger relative, neighbor or even to one of his stuffed animals.
2. Turn your whole house into a reading lesson for your very early reader. Make labels for everything your child sees or uses: door, wall, sofa, bed, light switch, refrigerator, television.
3. Give your child practice reading directions by following a recipe together. Choose a simple recipe and be sure it's to make something your child enjoys. Have her read the directions out loud to you. Work together, step by step. Then enjoy!
4. Make your child a reading detective. Write clues that send your child from one part of the house to another. (In nice weather, hide some clues outside, as well.) While your child is having fun, she's also getting some valuable practice in reading.
5. Try a newspaper scavenger hunt. To help your child learn about the different sections of your newspaper, give him a list of things to find, such as:
*A picture of a famous athlete.
*The temperature in your town yesterday.
*A favorite cartoon.
*The time his favorite television program starts.
*The title of a program at your local library.
*The movie schedule for your local theater.
Give your child the list, a pair of scissors, some glue and your newspaper. As he finds the items, have him cut them out and paste them to his paper. If more than one child wants to play, make up a separate list and use yesterday's paper as well.
Remember, five years from now, your child won't remember the night you left the dishes in the sink. But he'll treasure forever the time you spent reading with him.

Reading is the Foundation!

Reading is the foundation for success in school and in life. The ability to read and write is necessary to master every subject and to communicate what is learned. Children who enjoy reading will continue to learn throughout their lives. Reading is one of the most inexpensive and readily available forms of education and entertainment.
Here are some ideas you can use to reinforce your child's reading skills at home.
1. Encourage your child to spend time reading every day. Reading is a skill and it gets better with practice. Research shows that kids who spend at least 30 minutes a day reading books, magazines and newspapers are more likely to become good readers.
2. Make reading easy. If your TV is within easy reach, but books are stored on a high shelf, you can probably guess how your child will spend her free time. But if she has her own bookshelf filled with interesting books, and TV time must be scheduled in advance she'll probably pick up a book.
3. Use tried and true teacher tips to help your child become a better reader. During your read-aloud times at home:
**Stop before the end of the story. Ask your child to predict what she thinks may happen next.
**Encourage your child to guess what the next rhyming word may be if you're reading a poem.
**Have your child relate the story to a personal experience she may have had.
**Ask your child how she might have changed the story.
4. Give your child a wide range of experiences, which are the foundation for understanding what she reads. Take your child on picnics, visits to the zoo or trips to a nearby park. A child who has seen and touched a sheep, for example, will learn the words sheep, wool, and of course, baa.
5. Squeeze reading into a busy day. You can include reading during:
**Breakfast - One mom makes sure her kids get a "breakfast of champions" by reading aloud while they eat. Best of all, she says, her kids become so engrossed with the story they stop fighting with each other!
**Bathtub time - On hectic days, one family schedules read-aloud time during baths for good, clean fun.
**Car time - Today's families seem to spend a lot of time in the car. Try recording a favorite book during one of your regular story hours. Then play it in the car so your child can read along as she listens. Keep a small stack of books and magazines handy so your child can read during the countless afternoons you chauffeur her to softball or cheer practice.
Promoting your child's love of reading is one of the most important things you can do to put your child on the road to school success.

Are you the Parent of a Preschooler?

Here is a checklist if you are the parent of a preschooler. This list contains some ways you can help your child "get ready to read" during the ages of 4 and 5.
___ I help my child hear and say the first sound in words (like "b" in boat), and notice when different words start with the same sound (like "boat" and "book").
___ I help my child hear words that rhyme (like moose, goose, and caboose).
___ I introduce new words to my child like "bow" and "stern", which mean the front of a boat and the back of a boat.
___ I talk with my child about the letters of the alphabet and notice them in books, like "c" for canoe.
___ I point out signs and labels that have letters, like street signs and foods in the grocery store.
___ I encourage my child to find the joy and fun in reading. Usually, I let my child choose the books we read.
___ I let my child pretend to read parts of the book when we read together.
___ I talk with my child about stories and make connections to things that happen in our own lives.
___ I ask "what", "where", and "how" questions when I read with my child to help her follow along and understand the stories.
___ I help my child write notes or make books (like an alphabet book), even if his writing only looks like scribbles or marks.

Tips for Busy Parents

Here are some ways you can use your time more efficiently to help your child be successful.
1. Use time in the car with your child, or other pockets of time to squeeze in a little more learning. Of course, your child can't write an essay in the car, but he can talk about what he's going to write, or perhaps review spelling words.
2. Set priorities. Decide what's most important to you. Then consciously decide how to spend your time. Make sure your decisions reflect what matters. Have a choice between cooking a fancy dinner or reading with your child? Order a pizza and read the book.
3. Spend one-on-one time. Kids need both "quality" and "quantity" time with you. There's nothing like spending time alone with a parent to make a child feel special. Every week, make an appointment to spend some time alone with each of your children. Get out your calendar and write it in. Then treat that appointment as seriously as you would an important business meeting.
4. Find your child's "Prime Time" for studying. This may be a key to his/her success in school. One mother found that after her daughter, a real early bird, set her study time for 5:00 a.m., her grades went up. Another family of night owls found that late evening study hours were best. Work with your child to find the homework time that's best for him. You might find that his "prime time" works to your advantage too.