• Reading Tips for Parents

    • Don't leave home without it.  Bring a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as a doctor's office.  Always try to fit in reading.  
    • Once is not enough.  Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.
    • Dig deeper into the story.  Ask your child questions about the story you've just read.  Say something like,"Why do think Henry and Mudge did that?"
    • Take control of the television.  It is difficult to compete with TV and video games but cutting the TV off for 20 minutes for reading will make a big difference in your child's reading abilities. 
    • Be patient.  Give your child time to sound out all the letters in a word.  Then have them reread the word in the sentence.
    • Pick out books that are on their just right level.  Help your child find and read books that are not too difficult.  Your child will become a better reader faster when reading books at their just right level.
    • Play word games.  Have your child sound out the word as you change bat to mat or bag to bat.
    • I read to you, you read to me.  Take turns reading aloud at bedtime.  
    • Talk! Talk! Talk!  Talk with your child everyday about school and things going on around the house.  Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation.  
    • Gently correct your young reader.  When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly.
    • Write!  Write!  Write!  Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note or to keep a journal about special things that happen at home.  
    • Tell family tales.  Children love to hear family stories.  Talk about a funny thing that happened to you when you were young.
    • Be your child's number 1 fan.  Ask your child to read aloud what he or she has written for school.  Be an enthusiastic listener. 
    • One more time with feeling.  When your child has sounded out an unfamiliar word, have him or her reread that sentence.  Often kids are so busy figuring out a word they lose the meaning of what they've just read. 
    • Do storytelling on the go.  Take turns adding to a story the two of you make up while riding in a car.  Try making the story funny or spooky.
    • Point out the relationship between words.  Explain how related words have similar spellings and meanings.  Show how a word like knowledge, for example, relates to the word know.
    • Use a writing checklist.   Have your child create a writing checklist with reminders such as, "Do all of my sentences start with a capital?  Yes/No."
    • Make books special.  Turn reading into something special.  Take your kids to the library, help them get their own library card, read with them, and buy books as gifts.  Have a favorite place for books in your home, or put books everywhere.