Help Your Child Be a Better Reader

 99 Ways to Get Kids to Love Reading and 100 Books They Will Love

Mary Leonhardt, longtime English teacher, reading specialist, and author of the terrific Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't has put her almost 30 years of teaching experience toward providing 99 specific tips to turn your child into an avid reader.

From number 1 ("Resolve that a love of reading will be your most important educational goal for your children") to number 99 ("Keep a perspective. Top reading skills should be your most important educational goal for your children but not your most important life goal for your child"), Leonhardt's suggestions are wide-ranging, specific, and highly effective. Leonhardt is an advocate of providing kids with reading material they like (go for the comic books and leave the classics for later). Whether your children are early readers or teenagers, 99 Ways to Get Kids to Love Reading will help you inspire and support your child's lifelong reading habit. --Ericka Lutz


Newborns to age two years

It's never too soon to begin reading to your child. Babies enjoy hearing a parent's voice, even if they can't understand the words. They soak up language and attention. Toddlers and twos can listen longer and follow a simple story. They focus on pictures, but they are learning some of the basics about reading, such as how to hold a book and turn pages. They are also learning to love it.

It's okay if your child...

• Quickly loses interest or is easily distracted when you read. Skip to a favorite page
• Wants to read the same story over and over again. Children learn through repetition.
• Shows little interest in reading. Put the book down and try again later.

How you can help....

• Read aloud to a young baby for only a few minutes at a time. Read a little longer as your older baby or toddler is willing to listen.
• Point to things in picture books and name them. As your children learn to talk, ask them to "point and say".
• Set aside at least one regularly scheduled time each day for reading. make is a part of your toddler's routine. Also, take toddlers to the library or bookstore for story hour.
• Recite nursery rhymes and sing songs. Rhymes help develop a young child's ear for language.

Bookshelf

• Cloth, vinyl and board books that are durable for babies
• Books with familiar objects for naming
• Stories about a toddler's everyday experiences
• A collection of Mother Goose or other nursery rhymes

Preschoolers, ages three to five years

Preschooler are aware of print around them and on the page. They may pretend to read favorite books. This pretend reading helps set the stage for real reading and helps children think of themselves as readers.

It's okay if your child...

• Asks a lot of questions while you read. Children learn through talking about books.
• Can't sit still for a story. Some children listen better while drawing or playing with a toy.
• Writes letter or words backwards. Preschoolers are still getting oriented
• Prefers information to storybooks. Some children do!

How you can help....

• Encourage your children to join in while you read. Pause to let them fill in a rhyming word or repeating line. "I'll huff and puff"
• Ask open ended questions such as, "What do you think is going to happen next?" or "Why do you think he did that?"
• Move your finger under the words as you read aloud. This helps preschoolers connect printed words to spoken words.
• Begin teaching the letters of the alphabet, starting with the ones in your child's own name. Make letter learning fun with markers, magnets, glue and glitter.

Bookshelf

• Concept books, such as counting books and ABC books
• Pattern books with rhymes and repetition
• Simple Stories with predictable repetition
• Information picture books.

Dear Reader:  You can help us make this website even better!

We'd love to hear your comments about this article!  Scroll down to sound off!  All of our articles and ideas have come from our imagination and from reader submissions.  Please use this form to contact us if you have articles, crafts, activities, games, recipes, songs or poems that you would like to add to this website. Make sure to stop by our mom friendly forums too!

Webmasters and Authors:

We will gladly include a link back to your site or book in exchange for sharing your content.  Just contact us!

Bookmark

Email This

Hits: 4529

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment Preview