Being reading with your baby from the moment he is born. Ok, you probably aren't thinking about reading with your newborn while in the hospital. Just know, your baby is never to young for you to read to him/her. Your baby may not know what you are talking about but you are building a strong foundation. You are exposing your baby to vocabulary and building strong reading habits.
When you read with your child, talk about the pictures, photos, and story.
Read board books and nursery rhymes together.
Read a book without words and make up a story to go along with the pictures.
Act out a book with toys (puppets, dolls, stuffed animals)
Look at the cover and together predict what the story will be about. After reading the book, check to see if you were correct.
Attend a storytime activity at a bookstore, library, or other location.
There are lots of things that you can do to help your child become a successful student. These tips may seem simple, but these simple tips can give your child the tools he/she needs to succeed in school. Just 20 minutes a day can make a lasting impact on your child.
Read
Read age appropriate books to your child. Talk about the illustrations. The more you talk, the more vocabulary you are introducing to your child. As your child gets older, have him/her talk about the illustrations.
Before reading a book, look at the cover and predict what the story is about (as your child grows older, he/she can predict). After reading the story, see if your guess was correct.
Read in a variety of places, in a homemade tent or fort, outside, on the couch, in your child's bedroom, or while waiting at the doctors.
As you read, give each character a different voice. Read books with a silly voice as you read to your child.
Read nursery rhymes with your child. Children who know 5 nursery rhymes by the time they are 4 grow up to be great readers. Sing songs and play games with nursery rhymes to help your child learn them.
As you read more familiar rhyming books to your child, pause at the end of sentences and allow your child to say the word.
Read a nonfiction book and discuss the illustrations.
Read a book without words and make up a story. As your child grows older, he/she can make up the story with you or instead of you.
Act out a story with stuffed animals a puppets. As your child grows older, he/she can act out the stories with you (with or without the puppets).
As you read books, do things that are mentioned in the book. For example, eat cookies while reading, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" or eat fruit while eating "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."
Read this article on tips to help your child become a successful reader.
It is very important to read daily to your children for 15-20 minutes. There is no age limit. Begin as young as 3 months and continue until your child no longer lives with you. Let your child predict what will happen in the story. When they are old enough, ask them to tell you about the story. Identify the characters, setting, and plot of the story.
For younger children, talk about the illustrations, point to the words as you read, and let him/her turn the pages. Give your child a chance to "read" the story to you. Once a child is familiar with a book, he/she can retell the story to you by looking at the pages in the book.
As your children begin to read, let them also read to you daily for 10-15 minutes. Sit next to your child so that you can see what he/she is reading. Kindly correct any errors or help him/her sound out words. Help your child use context clues to help him/her understand a word or sound out a word.
Reading aloud is good way to become a better reader. Every child can learn to become a better reader. Allowing your child to read to you for 10-15 minutes and then you read to him/her for 15-20 minutes gives your child a solid 30 minutes of good reading practices.
If time doesn't permit for a 30 minute block of time, this can be spread out throughout the day.
