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1. Read with your children every day:
- Read with your children for at least fifteen minutes every day.
- Choose a comfortable, quiet, and well lit location.
- Give children your full attention when you are reading together.
2. Read for enjoyment:
- Let children choose the books they are interested in.
- Let children touch the books, turn the pages and discover the pictures.
- Let children read to you. Or read aloud to them.
- Take turns reading aloud, using a picture book with just a few words on each page.
- A child may lose interest in a story, but will often enjoy pointing out things in the pictures.
3. Stop reading when your child loses interest:
- Short sessions are effective. Don’t make your children read books they dislike.
- You don’t need to finish each book you start.
- Re-read the child’s favourites. Young children often want the same story read over and over again.
- Be patient!
4. Be expressive:
- Enthusiasm is important. Give different voices to different characters.
- Read slowly, and pronounce the words clearly. Use drama and excitement to make the story come alive.
- Puppets can be used to act out the story.
5. Get to know the book:
- Give children time to comment on what they see and hear.
- Ask children lots of questions about colours, numbers, shapes, and objects in the story.
- Relate the story to your children’s experiences. Share opinions.
- After the story ask questions that stimulate thought.
- Avoid questions that “test” your child.
6. Offer praise:
- Praise builds confidence and self-esteem in children. Reading will be associated with feeling good. Learning becomes natural, rewarding and fun.
7. Visit your local library:
- Go often. Borrow and read many different kinds of children’s books to discover and increase your child’s interests.
- Children can get their own library card at a young age. You can both choose and borrow several books at once.
- Borrow a good selection of beautiful, expensive books. Children deserve the best!
8. Be a role model:
- Make a book of your own, and help your children to make their own books!
- Children learn from example. If they see parents reading they will also want to read!
Literacy. Learning for Life.
Frontier College
www.frontiercollege.ca
1-800-555-6523 |
