Promote Reading Success at Home
by Tamara Thompson
Creating a reading environment at home and parent involvement is crucial in developing a successful reader. Children who are read to on a consistent basis have an average vocabulary of 20,000 words, whereas children not read to regularly on average have a vocabulary of 3,000 words. Be active in your child’s reading development as they figure out how written words work, and begin to use reading and writing daily. Here are a few activities to help you create a reading environment at home:
Children’s Books
As your child grows, choose nursery rhymes, ABC books, informational books, story books and chapter books appropriate to their reading level. Organize a bookshelf of your child’s collection, creating a special place will give a sense of value for books in your child. Make sure it is easy accessible, so that your child can reach books and read as they please. There are a lot of ways to build a collection of books: ask for used books of other parents with older children, visit book fairs, yard sales, bookstores and of course online.
Writing Center
Use a desk or table to create a writing center for your child, to promote the importance of writing. You will need thick markers, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, large paper and standardized paper to complete your center. Making a picture book and story book are fun writing center activities. Overtime, take it a step further and have a collection of your child’s books bound at Kinko’s or Staples. Kids will love seeing their work and this can make a special keepsake for you.
Letters, Words, Conversation
Introduce new words to your child as you explain their meaning. Encourage them to ask when they don’t know the meaning of a word. Keep letters all around the house: alphabet blocks, foam letters for the bathtub, ABC puzzles, magnetic refrigerator letters, ABC cookie cutters, letter stamps, and letter stickers. These materials will enable you to talk about letters and form words while you do other activities with your child such as cooking, bathing and play. Actively talk to your child through why, how and what questions. Encourage thinking before speaking by building your questions upon your child’s responses.
Reading
Always read to your child. Following a routine time to read-aloud and listen to your child read daily makes it special to a child. For young readers, pointing to words shows the relationship between spoken and written words as well as the correct way to follow print from left to right.
Tapes and Videos
Use tapes and videos to enhance the reading experience. Music and songs such as the ABC song in jazz, reggae, country and classical teaches the alphabet as well as introduces your child to different forms of music. Baby Einstein, Sesame Street and LeapFrog are just a few video/DVD producers you will find useful as your child interacts digitally.
Be a reader and writer yourself. One of the most effective ways to help children become readers and writers is to show them through your own example that you value literacy and that reading and writing have useful purposes.
I’m a mum of four little ones, and I’m always looking out for new and old ideas to help educate my young children.
D Mc