Read to and
with your children for 30 minutes every day. It is very
important to read out loud to your children before they start
school. Help your children to read with you. Ask them to find
letters and words on the page and talk with your children about the
story.
Talk with infants and young children before
they learn to read. Talk with your children all day long, using
short, simple sentences. Talking with them even before they can
speak will help them later when they learn to read and
write.
Help your children to read on their own.
Reading at home helps children do better in school. Have lots of
children's books in your home and visit the library every week.
Help your children get their own library cards and let them pick
out their own books.
If your child has a developmental delay, your
child may find reading frustrating. Have books on tape in your
home. Borrow or buy a tape player that is easy to work. If you
cannot find recordings of your child's favorite books, you or a
family member could make recordings of them for your child to
listen to while looking at the books.
Help your child to see that reading is
important. Suggest reading as a free-time activity. Make sure
your children have time in their day to read. Set a good example
for your children by reading newspapers, magazines, and
books.
Set up a reading area in your home. Keep
books that interest your children in places where they can easily
reach them. As your children become better readers, make sure that
you add harder books to your collection.
Give your children writing materials.
Children want to learn how to write and to practice writing. Help
them learn by having paper, pencils, pens, or crayons for them in
your home. Help your children write if they ask you. If your child
has a special learning or physical need, regular pens and pencils
may not be the best choice. Ask your pediatrician or people who
work with your child at school or at the child care center to
suggest other writing materials your child can use.
Read and write with your children in their
native language. Practicing their first language will help your
children learn to read and write English.
Talk with your children as you do daily
activities together. When you take your children places, talk
with them about what you are doing and ask them questions. If your
child cannot hear, use whatever form of communication your child
usually uses.
Ask your children to describe events in their
lives. Talking about their experiences makes children think
about them. Giving detailed descriptions and telling complete
stories also helps children learn about how stories are written and
what the stories they read mean.
Restrict the amount and kind of TV your
children watch. Watch educational TV programs with your
children that teach letter sounds and words or give information
about nature and science.
Keep track of your children's progress in
school. Visit your children's classrooms to learn how your
children are doing in school and how you can help your children
become better students. Ask about the school's reading program and
where your children need help.
Become a learning partner/reading tutor to a
child in your neighborhood or from your local elementary
school. Volunteer to read with or to a child for 30 minutes a
week for at least eight weeks. Take the child to the library to get
him or her a library card.
Help start a community reading program. A
good way to begin is to help set up an America Reads Challenge:
READ*WRITE*NOW! program. Offer to volunteer as a reading tutor or
serve as a community contact/coordinator for the program. Call
1-800-USA-LEARN for America Reads
Challenge: READ*WRITE*NOW! materials.
