This week’s article is filled with tips and tricks to help increase reading and literacy with your children. Even though you probably know a lot of these tips and tricks, life gets busy and we . . .
forget. So we hope these can act as little refreshers for you and your family.
Children 0-4 years of age
Have books available everywhere for your child, in the bathroom, in the car, in their room, in the living room, in the kitchen, for errands. Have a cozy spot in your home for reading. Your reading nook doesn’t need to be fancy, it can have some blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and of course, books. One great idea is turning the floor of the closet into a reading nook.
Encourage them to read a story when they are waiting for you or to a sibling. They will be so proud to become the storyteller.
Make reading part of your daily routine. A great time to include story time is before nap and bedtime. You can let them choose a story or take turns with them. When choosing a story try to pick books that strike the child’s interests.
Build vocabulary. When reading with babies and toddlers, point out objects in the pages of the book and have them repeat the new words to increase their vocabulary.
Ask questions, make sure your child is comprehending what you’re reading,
Keep in mind your child’s attention span when choosing a book. Choose short ones at the start and make them longer as their attention span grows.
Practice storytelling. This builds imagination, vocabulary and is great for picturing the story in their own head. Once they get used to hearing stories, they can start making up their own. A great way to start this is through turn taking. One person starts the story with a sentence or two and your child adds to it. You go on like this and see what the story becomes.
School-age children
1. It’s sometimes difficult to know how to choose the right level of book for your child. Use the five finger rule to help you with this.
What to do – Pick a book. Open the book to any page. Put one
finger up for each word you don’t know.
0 – 1 Too easy;
1- 2 Perfect choice;
3 – 4 Give it a try;
5+ Too hard.
2. Ask questions. Before reading, ask them to predict what they think the story will be about based on the title and the picture on the cover of the book. You can also give children a purpose for reading. This means give them something specific to look for in the story.
During reading ask specific questions: what problem did the main character solve? Did the story have a happy/sad ending? Who was your favourite character and why?
After reading, have them sum up the main parts of the story; beginning, middle and end.
3. Share reading, take turns reading a page each.
4. Read to your child, even when they are old enough to read on their own. One idea is to choose a chapter book to read together.
Reading is all around us. Read things other than books with your children. Read magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, signs in stores, flyers, etc. Give reading a good “rep” in your home so that it becomes something your children like to do instead of something that they dread. Until next week, happy reading.
