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.