There are many ways to encourage your child to become involved in reading. Here
are some questions to ask yourself to keep you on track:
For Babies (6 weeks to 1 year)
Do I provide a comfortable place for our story time? Is my child happy to be here?
Am I showing her the pictures in the book? Am I changing the tone of my voice as I
read to show emotion and excitement?
Am I paying attention to how my child responds? What does she especially like? Is
she tired and ready to stop?
For Toddlers (1 to 3 years)
All of the questions above, plus:
Does my child enjoy the book we are reading?
Do I encourage her to "pretend read," joining in where she has memorized
a word or phrase?
When I ask questions, am I giving my child enough time to think and answer?
Do I tie ideas in the book to things familiar to my child? Do I notice if she does
this on her own?
Do I let my child know how much I like her ideas and encourage her to tell me
more?
Do I point out letters, such as the first letter of her name?
Remember: Children learn step by step in a process that takes time and
patience. They vary a great deal in the rate they make progress and in what holds their
interest .
For Preschoolers (3 and 4 years)
All of the questions above, plus:
Do I find ways to help my child begin to identify letters and make the
letter-sound matches?
For Kindergartners (5 years):
All of the questions above, plus:
Do I find ways to help my child begin to identify some printed words?
Do I let my child retell favorite stories to show she knows how the story goes and
what's in it?
For Beginning First-Graders (6 years):
All of the questions above, plus:
Do I give my child the chance to read a story to me using the text, picture clues,
her memory or any combination of these ways that help her make sense of the story?
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