Reading with your child-any age!
Surround your child with books
Try to have books in your home for your child to read. Books from a bookstore can be expensive, but there are places where you can get inexpensive books, such as second hand bookstores, garage sales, thrift shops, and library book sales. And of course, borrowing books from the library is free!
Make reading special
Do things that will make books and reading seem special. Help your child get his or her own library card, buy books and books-on-tape as gifts, and use books as rewards. Find a special place in your home for reading.
Ask your child questions
Discuss what’s happening in the story and point out things on the page. Ask your child questions such as: “What do you think will happen next?” or “What is this?” Discuss the characters, setting, problem and solution, or the main idea with supporting details from the book.
Encourage your child to read another book
Find ways to encourage your child to keep reading. If he or she likes one book, find another book with a similar subject or by the same author. Ask a librarian or teacher for book suggestions.
Take turns reading
Once your child can read, have him or her read aloud to you every day. You can take turns – you read one page and your child the next. Children love to hear their families reading to them.
Make connections to your child’s life
Help your child make connections between what he or she reads in books and what happens in life. If you’re reading a book about a family, for example, talk about how what happens in the story is the same or different from what happens in your family.
Give your child an incentive to read
At bedtime, encourage your child to read. Offer a choice between reading or sleeping. Most kids will choose to read, as long as you don’t offer something more tempting (like TV).
Try different types of books and magazines
Encourage your child to read different types of books, articles, or stories. Some kids, especially boys, prefer nonfiction books. Others like children’s magazines.
Turn on the closed captioning on your television
When watching a television show with your child, try turning on the closed captioning channel. This shows the words the characters are speaking on the television screen.