Read Every Day

We all know how important it is to read to children. Children whose families read with them do better in school. Here are some suggestions to help your children improve their reading skills.

Always have a book on hand, no matter where you are. Keep a small book in your purse or have a picture book in the baby’s stroller. Make sure that you and your children always have something to read when time is available.

Focus on their interests. Reading with you should be for pleasure. It doesn’t matter if they’re reading about NASCAR or NASA!

Be a patient listener. It can be difficult listening to your children struggle while reading. Try not to jump in and finish the sentence for them even if they’re reading slowly. Instead, encourage their good effort.

Get everyone involved. The more people who read with children, the more they see that reading is important. Children need to read with all the adults and older kids in the household.

But first…Kids make time for a lot of extras in their day. TV shows, computer games, and going online can eat up surprising amounts of time and don’t help reading.

There’s something special about owning a book. When birthdays or holidays come around, make sure there’s always a good book wrapped up and waiting.