Reading

Reading is key to your child's success in school. All schoolwork depends on being able to read. Never again will children have as much leisure to read for fun as they have during the first years of reading. It's very important to help your child learn to read well and love reading.

• Read to and with your children early and often. Reading aloud to children promotes the idea that reading is pleasurable. Even 10 or 15 minutes of reading together a day can make a real difference.
• Keep a variety of reading materials around the house. If your child can't find something to read, your child won't be able to read.
• Put "junk mail" to good use. Give any appropriate mail to your children to read as you read your own mail.
• Watch for newspaper and magazine stories and books about your children's favorite cartoon characters, sport stars and entertainers. some newspapers feature children's pages.
• Use the newspaper. It's fun and informative. Cut out an interesting news story and cut the paragraphs apart. Ask your child to read the paragraphs and arrange them in logical order. For younger children, you can cut up a comic strip.
• Pick out an interesting article from the newspaper. As you are preparing lunch or dinner, ask your child to read the paragraphs and arrange them in logical order. For younger children, you can cut up a comic strip.
• Pick out an interesting article from the newspaper. As you are preparing lunch or dinner, ask your child to read the article to you. Then ask them some questions about what they read.
• Research and read about famous people born on your child's birthday.
• Play word games to strengthen vocabulary.
  • Make up tongue-twisters and rhymes.
  • Do an easy crossword puzzle together.
  • See how many words your children can spell using the letters in their name.
• Ask children to look up phone numbers to practice using alphabetical lists. Let your child alphabetize a list of friends with their addresses and phone numbers.
• Get library cards for your children. Make this a special event, part of growing up.
• With the help of a librarian, show your children how to find books they want to read.
• Use a nature walk to practice parts of speech. Challenge your children to use descriptive language. ("The towering tree," instead of "the tall tree.") Related Link:
  http://www.aft.org
  Source: American Federation of Teachers Website