In 1999, then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton told the National Association of Book Publishers that the mind of a child was "truly a work in progress" and stressed that helping parents and families create an environment of literacy was crucial to shaping the future. Reading need not be an onerous task for a child. You can adopt simple, regular exercises and activities to make reading a joy for your children, giving them the chance they need to develop the vocabulary, comprehension and literacy skills they need to succeed in life.
Step 1
Go with your child to your local library, and teach her how to choose a suitable reading book. An effective strategy to help children choose books is ReadStrong's Five-Finger Rule: The child picks a page and holds up her fist, then puts up one finger for each word she doesn't recognize. No fingers means an "easy" read, one to four means "just right" and five fingers means a "challenge."
Step 2
Create art and crafts to illustrate characters from a story or book your child has read. Let him make a bookmark featuring a favorite character from the story, for example, and decorate it with important related words.
Step 3
Make a list of stories, items, people and pictures in a newspaper, and send your child on a "scavenger hunt" to find them. Examples of things to have on the list include headlines, story subjects, comic strip characters and photos of people who must be identified by reading the captions.
Step 4
Carry a book or two with you everywhere, and encourage your child to read any time you have a moment. Take turns reading aloud to vary the activity. Take the opportunity to read with your child any time you have to wait around, whether it's on a bus journey or in a doctor's waiting room.
Step 5
Play a reading game in the car, where each person in turn has to read a word or phrase she sees outside, on a billboard, store front or street sign, for example. Remember that reading doesn't just mean books -- there are things your child can read wherever you are. For added enjoyment, reward a point for every new word mentioned.
Step 6
Give your child a shopping list and a pencil on a trip to the grocery store. His job is to tell you what's next on the list and check off items. As an extra reward for reading, allow him to add one special item of his own to the list as a treat.
Step 7
Sit down with your child regularly to read magazines and newspapers. Swap interesting stories you find, and cut out funny, fascinating or important articles and paste them into a scrapbook as a permanent record of what you've read.
References
- ReadStrong: The Five-Finger Rule
- "25 Fun Ways to Encourage Reading"; Schwab Learning
- University of Illinois: Family Works: Fun Ways to Encourage Your Children to Read
- Bruce Guadalupe Library: 8 Easy Ways to Get Children to Read This Summer
- "Parent-Proven Tips to Get Kids Reading"; GreatSchools
- "Read Write Now! Activities for Reading and Writing Fun"; Richard W. Wiley; U.S. Department of Education; May 1995
- "On the Importance of Reading to Children"; Hillary Rodham Clinton; March 18, 1999
