Helping Your Children Become Better Readers  (Home Basics, Winter 2002)
Mrs. Galasso

Hidden throughout the day are opportunities to boost your child's love of reading. According to the National Center for Family Literacy, spending at least 15 minutes per day engaged in reading activities with your children, boosts their confidence and achievement.

• Home: have children help by reading recipes  for meals and instructions for laundry.
• Drive time: Keep books in the car for reading on the way to appointments, school or store.
• Tune in: Put books on tape in the car. Listening to stories is great for vocabulary, visualizing and comprehension.
• Television Guide: Each week, create a personalized schedule for your child by helping them read the newspaper and writing down what they will watch, the time and a brief description of the show.
• Word Game: One person starts by saying a word and then passes it on to the next person. That person says the first associated word that comes to mind. If the word is food, the second person says pasta. Then the next may say sauce and so on. Good for introducing new words and understanding  meanings.
• Letters: Find words that start with the first letter and other letters in your child's name. You can do this driving, walking and shopping. You will help your child build awareness of words and letter patterns.
• Food for thought: Have children read menus aloud in restaurants. Read cereal boxes and food packages at home and in the store.
• Read the Room: Name objects and things seen in a room. Write them down and help your child see how many sentences can be made using words on the list.


Most of all, enjoy and have fun with reading. You will be a wonderful role model for your child!
Enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season.


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Webpages created by Bob Schultz
updated 11/24/2002 by Mrs. Lapple and Mrs. Galasso