Promoting+Reading

Parents Promoting Reading All parents want their child to succeed in school. If kids are good readers, school can be easy. If not, kids can struggle and begin to dislike school. Here are a few strategies to promote reading at home. Whether you know it or not, //you // , as a parent, play an important role in helping your child to acquire a love of reading .

Sometimes parents think that a joke book or comic strip is not “reading”, but kids should be allowed to read whatever interests them, especially if they are reluctant to read in the first place. We might think that when kids get old enough to read themselves, parents do not need to read to them anymore. Not so! Kids of all ages enjoy listening to stories, poems, jokes, etc. Kids who are reluctant to read benefit from a parent modeling fluency and intonation. Show your child that you value reading by going regularly to the library or bookstores. Help your child find books about things that interest them. Many times, kids will be motivated to read just by the subject matter. When you read the same book as your child, it provides an opportunity for book discussions. Make it fun! Maybe you and your child talk about the book over a special lunch or ice cream treat. This one-on-one time can create a special bond between you and your child. There are many wonderful book series out there. Read the first book in a series with your child. If your child enjoys it, it may spark an interest for your child to read the rest of the series. See the booklist page for ideas… <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Getting mail is always fun for kids. Find a magazine that highlights your child’s interests and subscribe to it. Your child will await it’s arrival each month! <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Keep books, magazines, comics, etc. around the house. Students are more likely to pick up a book if there is one available. Place books by your child’s <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">favorite chair or next to their bed. Creating a //reading friendly// environment doesn’t have to break the bank, though. Check out thrift stores and used bookstores <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">for inexpensive books. Give books for presents. Show your child that reading is fun! <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">When kids can listen to a book and follow along with the text, they are learning fluency and vocabulary. They are also learning to enjoy reading. Sometimes the <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“work” of reading is so difficult that students do not learn to enjoy it. Many audio books are available at the public library. Some classics are available online. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">There are many activities that require us to read. Cook together, having your child read the recipe. Make a model airplane together, having your child read the <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">directions. Be creative! <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Whether it’s the newspaper, a magazine, or a novel, showing kids that you read too sends the message that reading is a necessary life-long skill. When <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">reading is important to you, it also becomes important to your child.
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">1) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Allow your child to read whatever he or she finds interesting. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">2) **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">**Read aloud to your child, no matter what their age.**
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">3) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Visit the library and bookstores with your child. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">4) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Read what your child is reading. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">5) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Read the first book in a series. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">6) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Subscribe to a magazine. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">7) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Create a //“reading friendly”// environment. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">8) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Introduce your child to audio books. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">9) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Do something with your child that requires reading. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">10) ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Read yourself! **

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Motivating kids to read can be tricky. When pushed too hard to read, some kids shut down. Be encouraging. Praise your child for improvements in fluency or for simply finishing a book. Your efforts in promoting reading at home now will pay off in your child’s success and love of reading later!

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Bailet, L. L. (2010, February). //KidsHealth//. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from Helping Reluctant Readers: http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/all_reading/readers.html <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Candler, L. (2011, March 4). //Laura's Voice//. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from 12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers: http://lauracandler.blogspot.com/2011/03/12-ways-to-motivate-reluctant-readers.html <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Jen. (2010, November 16). //The Reading Child Blog//. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from Reluctant Readers: http://thereadingchild.com/archives/247 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Jim. (2010, July 20). //Five strategies for motivating your struggling reader//. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from Imagine This!: http://www.imaginelearning.com/blog/index.php/2010/07/five-strategies-for-motivating-your-struggling-reader/ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Pages, J. M. (n.d.). //Learning Tips//. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from Kidbibs.com: []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bibliography **

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