Reading Together

Reading is an activity that promotes the development of a large number of literacy skills in young children. When you make reading a part of your daily routine, children begin to develop an inherent interest in reading and they become motivated to learn how to read. In addition, they feel valued and enjoy spending this one-on-one time with you. While it may be difficult to find time to read to your child daily, many parents find that it helps to establish a set routine when it comes to reading. Most children enjoy being read to right before they get ready for bed, so if you are still struggling with incorporating reading into your child’s day, perhaps a part of the bedtime routine at your home can involve reading.

For most parents, choosing books that are appropriate for their young children becomes a challenge. As a rule of thumb, always choose books that are bright, colorful, and on topics that your children find interesting. If you are reading to children under the age of two, choose board books so that the children are able to turn the pages of these books on their own. If you have older children, choose from a variety of fiction and non-fiction books so that your children learn the distinction between “made up” stories and books that have “real information.” It is important to read a balance of fiction and non-fiction books because while the former are engaging and fun for children, the latter help them to learn new things about the world around them.

When your children are young and still unable to read independently, choose books that have a rich vocabulary and take the opportunity to explain the meaning of words to your children. Ask them to infer what any new words they come across may mean and discuss possible strategies that they can use to determine the most plausible definition of these words. For example, explain to the children that they can look at the picture or reread the sentence to determine the context for the word.

No matter where your children may be on the reading continuum, model the joys of reading. Whenever you have the opportunity, speak to your children about what you are reading, what you enjoy about reading, and what your favorite reading material is. Children are often eager to emulate their parents so that if they see that you are a regular reader, they will also choose to read regularly.

Finally, if your children have started school, work closely with their teacher to find out about the approaches that the teacher is using to teach literacy skills to your children. Ask the teacher about activities you can engage in with your children at home to support and enhance the learning that happens at school.

As always, please feel free to share your comments and questions with me. My next blog will continue this discussion on reading with children.

Comments

[Giftex Blog Admin]

hi,

thats a best way of parenting your child.