Promote Reading Every Day

Learning is something children enjoy and even every day activities can provide moments to offer learning activities. Playing, talking, singing, writing, and reading together are wonderful ways to offer learning opportunities. The literacy skill activities provided here are fun ways for you to connect with your children and have long lasting effects while preparing them for school. Encourage a lifetime of learning! 

Tips for Reading Together

  1. Get comfy! Try to sit together so that children can see the pictures easily. Be informal. 
  2. Look over the book before beginning to read. Look for words or pictures to point out. 
  3. Be energetic and make it fun for you both! Try different voices, volumes, or facial expressions as you read. If you are uncomfortable reading, just look at the illustrations together and talk about the pictures. 
  4. Schedule a special time to read. Bedtime works, but any time of day is a good time to read! Take your time and be patient. Allow for questions, distractions, and pauses. Encourage participation by asking the child/children to fill in a repeated word or ask them questions such as what might happen on the next page. 
  5. Read the story over and over again. Kids love repetition! 

Activities and titles listed are just suggestions, so please substitute as you see fit. Creativity and change is allowed. You don’t have to do exactly as recommended.  We all learn at different speeds so let the child set the pace and have fun!

Help Your Children Get Ready for reading with Five Actions

  1. Talk
  2. Sing
  3. Read
  4. Write
  5. Play
  • Help your child notice print all around you, not just in the books that you read. Point out letters and words as you see them in signs, on buildings, anywhere, and everywhere.
  • Name letters as you see them, and talk about their shapes and sounds. (For example, “Look, there is the letter /S/. It is curvy like a snake and even sounds like one too. Sssss.”)
  • Let children hear you talking to others in addition to talking to them as often as possible. The more they hear language, the bigger their vocabulary will grow.