Watch the video for tips on supporting your young reader!
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1. How does reading currently feel in your family?
It’s hard to find time.
It’s a fun way to relax or spend time
together.
It’s stressful to get our child to read.
Your Family is Ready to Gear Up
Your family is juggling a lot. Though it can be stressful to find
time for it all, you’re making it work. Your family is
ready for an organized reading journey! Here’s how your
family can gear up.
Tips
Plan the habit. Try taking a few minutes tonight to plan
in advance for how you will slot reading time into your
schedule.
Include a book in your child’s bedtime routine. Read
aloud to your child, or remind them to read a few pages of
their book before bed.
Schedule a library visit in advance for when you’re
already out and about. (PS: Many libraries no longer charge
fines for overdue books.)
If you take a train or bus with your child, or wait at
a laundromat, bring a book as a fun distraction.
Prioritize choice. Empower your child to choose their own
books, which is proven to increase reading motivation. Ideas:
Have your child browse the library shelves and/or
share their interests with a librarian.
Children also enjoy rereading old favorites, which
builds comfort, understanding, and vocabulary.
Your Family is Ready to Power Up
Your family are adventurous readers! You read all sorts of
stories and texts. This is a great way for your child or children
to build background knowledge and vocabulary, so they can continue
to succeed as they grow. Here’s how your family can power up.
Tips
Grow vocabulary. Try modeling for your children the habit
of looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary.
Read together. Your child benefits from independent
reading as well as reading with you. Take turns reading to each
other, and discuss books.
Level up. Encourage your child to complete a “reading
challenge” in which they try to meet a goal, such as a number of
books read or a checklist of a variety of types of books. You
can find reading challenge options online or at your library or
school.
Your Family is Ready to Level Up
Your family is ready to thrive as readers. Learning to read
takes time. Your support makes a real difference in your child’s
reading journey! Here’s how your family can level up.
Tips
Be positive. Celebrate every step forward your child
makes.
Read together. Take turns reading to each other. Make it
cozy and fun—snuggle under the covers or make a blanket fort.
Support. Talk honestly with your child about reading
struggles and why it’s worth continuing. Ask them to brainstorm
the benefits.
Empower. Let your child choose their own books and see
you doing the same.
Practice phonics. Ask your child's teacher how you can
support specific reading skills at home.
Family Book Talk
Use the Ask and Share questions to discuss these books with your child.
The Cot in the Living Room
When other parents are working, Mami welcomes their children for the night. How come those kids get to sleep on the special cot? It’s not fair!
Big feelings can be tough enough, let alone feeling two at the same time! Maybe you’re feeling happy-sad? Or nervous-excited! Or scared-brave? It’s A-OK to feel that way!
On a snowy day, a girl and her mom chop vegetables, then play while the soup cooks. When the girl’s dad comes home, they sit together and eat the delicious soup.
Say so long to the season’s late blooming flowers, the frolicking animals, and the warm summer sun. There’s a chill in the air and autumn is on its way.
Make books easy to reach and reread at home. Rereading books:
helps children to understand a book more deeply
increases vocabulary, and
adds comfort and ease to reading.
Try to build in 20 minutes of reading with your child each day. Find a comfy spot, and enjoy this time together!
Encourage your child to bring along a book anytime! Short moments between running errands or traveling from place to place can add up to a lot of reading.
If you want more information on how to support your child as a reader, reach out to their teacher. You can ask:
Is my child reading on grade level?
What books would be a good fit for my child?
Is there anything specific we should be working on at home?
Kindergarten readers are learning to recognize rhyming words and even think up their own examples. When you read together, ask your child to point out words that rhyme.