Tips for Reading With Your Child
Infant – Kindergarten: Early Reading Activities
Young children should be encouraged to enjoy books from an early age. Choose books with the 3 R’s: rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. Look for books with bold illustrations to capture your child’s interest. Most books for young children are illustrated in great detail. Encourage your child to really notice what is happening in the pictures and to talk about the story.
Set aside a regular time and place for books so that reading becomes as natural as eating and sleeping.
Browse through books to help the child become familiar with books and how they are handled.
Read the story while the child points to the pictures. Encourage your child to repeat interesting sounds and repetitious parts/words in the story.
Have the child predict what will happen in the story using the illustrations.
Read the book to the child and enjoy it together. Then retell the story together and talk about the characters and how they feel. Try to relate the book to your child’s own experiences if possible.
Compare the similarities and differences of children’s books that are available as video productions.
Make regular trips to the library and attend storytelling sessions.
Kindergarten – First Grade: Beginning Reading Level Activities
Children at this level should be encouraged to browse through books and pretend to read the story, an initial step toward becoming an independent reader. Children may tell the story to themselves or attempt to read frequently highlighted words.
Set aside a specific place and time for reading to encourage daily reading.
Read the story as the child points to the pictures on each page.
Let the child pretend to read the story as the adult points to the pictures.
Read alternate pages, asking each other questions and discussing the story. Models what you are thinking of when reading your page; this will encourage your child to think about the story. For example, the you might say, "I’m wondering what will happen on this page. . .I think.. ."
Encourage your child to make connections between the book and themselves. Model this by saying, "This books reminds me of. . . (a personal experience).
Compare and contrast different versions of the same story/video adaptations.
First - Second Grades: Beginning Readers
Children at this age are just beginning to read books on their own. This can be both an exciting and frustrating time for your child. Be sure to encourage your child throughout this learning process and to make reading fun. If your child becomes "stuck" on a word, offer helpful strategies and lots of encouragement. If your child feels frustrated most of the time, talk with your child’s teacher about ways to help your child.
Continue to spend time reading with your child; set aside a specific time and place to encourage good reading habits.
Become aware of the interests of your child and help them select books of interest. Encourage them to read about new topics, places, etc.
Encourage your child to share books read in school with you at home. Parents and caregivers should re-read familiar books with children to build fluency, comprehension, and confidence. Most books need to be read as many as four times for a child to become fluent.
Encourage your child to read different kinds of books/print: fiction, informational, magazines, labels, newspapers, etc.
Second – Third Grades: Independent Readers
Children at this stage are becoming increasingly independent in their ability to read. They should be encouraged to read daily at home as part of a regular routine. The goal of at-home reading should be to encourage lifelong reading habits. Even though your child is able to read independently, most children still enjoy reading with an adult. Consider reading alternate pages for lengthier chapter books.
Encourage your child to develop an interest in a variety of books/print: biographies, historical fiction, poetry, newspapers, magazines, chapter books.
Challenge your child to compare and contrast different books read.
Discuss the story, chapter titles, characters with your child to encourage understanding.
Occasionally notice interesting words/vocabulary and discuss their meaning.
Offer personal rewards for reading, such as an extended bedtime.
If a child becomes frustrated by the difficulty of a book, then select something else. Reading should be a comfortable, easy task at home. Talk with your child’s teacher about book selection.