Helping With Reading

 How can I encourage my child to read?

• Read aloud to your child often. Start reading to your child when he is a baby. Keep reading as she grows up.

• Encourage your child to read on his own. Children who spend at least 30 minutes a day reading for fun build the skills to be better readers at school.

• Visit the library often. Begin making weekly trips to the library when your child is very young. See that your child gets his own library card as soon as possible.

• Buy a children’s dictionary and start the “let’s look-it-up” habit.Place writing materials, such as crayons, pencils and paper, around the house for kids to use.

• Ask family members and friends to consider giving your child books and magazine subscriptions as gifts for birthdays or other special occasions. Set aside a special place for your child to keep her own books.

• Get help for your child if he has a reading problem. If you think that your child needs extra help, ask his teachers about special services, such as after-school or summer reading programs. Also ask teachers or your local librarian for names of local free reading programs that offer tutoring.

• If you are not comfortable with your own reading ability, look for family or adult reading programs in your community. Schools and libraries can help you locate such programs. Friends and relatives also can read to your child, and there are volunteers in many communities to do the same.

Helping children become – and remain – readers is the single most important thing that parents and families can do to help their children do well in school and in life.

Source: U.S. Department of Education