The National Center for Learning Disabilities asserts that children who engage in literacy activities at home have better reading skills and experience greater school success. Promoting family literacy does not have to entail purchasing expensive tutoring programs or investing in the latest educational games. Families can engage in simple, daily literacy activities that inspire an interest in stories, reading, books and language.
Read Aloud
Read Aloud America offers several tips for families on how to read books together. Select a stress-free time of day where everyone can relax and enjoy reading. Typical times include bedtime or after dinner. Turn off all gadgets and distractions. Find a comfortable spot. If your children do not enjoy the book, have backup options available. If your child seems distracted or disinterested, put the book aside and try later. Visit bookstores, libraries and other places where you can read aloud in different settings and from different books. After reading together, talk about the story, but do not quiz children on their comprehension. Keep the tone light and fun.
Storytelling
Not all literacy activities involve the written word. Try a stint of storytelling to entertain family members. You can retell a classic fairytale, folklore from a foreign culture or a long joke, but storytelling can also center around oral history. Sharing family stories can involve people of all ages. Begin with an older family member telling a story about a memorable event. Younger children can try to retell the story, or they can share their own true or fictional stories about special events.
Rebus
The National Center for Family Literacy has created a handbook of games and activities families can implement to boost reading practice and comprehension skills. Among the recommendations are playing word games centered around books the family reads together. Take a nursery rhyme or a patterned story and create a rebus. Children can draw or cut out images from magazines to create images to replace key words in the rhyme or story. Write down the connecting words, fill in the images, and practice "reading" the rebus together.
Family Literacy Night
Help organize a special evening at your child's day care, school or after-school program, with all activities dedicated to literacy. A family literacy night may feature a storyteller, a puppet show bringing a favorite children's story to life, a felt board story time, or parents and older children acting out fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Make the event extra special by passing out books to everyone in attendance, or ask everyone to bring a book for a book exchange at the end of the event.
