Enjoyment is essential in the process of helping your child become a reader. All of the following activities are written with this thought in mind. So, if you and your child don't enjoy one activity, move on to something else and try it again later.
1. Include The Physical Part Of Reading
Reading is a physical act, as well as a mental one. It involves hand-eye coordination. So, when you read, involve your child by:
2. Look For Books You Both Love
They will shape your child's first impression of the world of reading.
3. Keep In Mind Your Child's Reading Level And Listening Level Are Different
When you read easy books, beginning readers will soon be reading along with you. When you read more advanced books, you instill a love of stories, and you build the motivation that transforms children into lifelong readers.
4. Use Repetition And Rhyme
Repetition makes books predictable, and young readers love knowing what comes next.
When youngsters anticipate what's coming next in a story or poem, they have a sense of mastery over books. When children feel power, they have courage to try. Pretending to read is an important step in the process of learning to read.
5. Include Poetry Reading And Action
Poems are often short with lots of white space on the page. This makes them manageable for new readers and helps to build their confidence.
When children act out a good poem, they love its rhyme and the pictures it paints with a few well-chosen words. They grow as readers by connecting emotion with the written word.
6. Allow Your Children To Read To You It's important to read to your children, but equally important to listen to them read to you. Children thrive on having someone appreciate their developing skills..
1. Tell them to skip over the word, read the rest of the sentence, and ask what word would make sense in the story;
2. Help them use what they know about letters and sounds;
3. Supply the correct word.
Listening to your children read aloud provides opportunities for you to express appreciation of their new skills, and for practice. Most importantly, it's another way to enjoy reading together.
7. Story Talk
Talking about what you read is another way to help children develop language and thinking skills. You don't need to plan the talk, discuss every story, or expect an answer.
8. Create A Book Nook
When collecting books is an important family activity, parents send the message that books are important and fun.
9. Help Your Children Make Their Own Books
Turn your child's writing into a homemade book. The effect will be powerful. Suddenly books become a lot more human and understandable.
Making books is a multi-step process from planning to writing to producing a final product.
Making books to share with others is also a terrific homeschool project. Older students can write with a specific audience in mind and, once their project is complete, share it with that audience. This is especially effective when writing children’s stories.
The study of History can also be integrated into a book making project. Students may choose a period of history, research the popular literature of the day as well as the historical events that shaped the period, and create a book that reflects that time period. All genres can be integrated into this project—from poetry to documentary, this is an outstanding way to review your history lessons.
Making books involves several academic steps: evaluating the interests of the audience; research and planning; writing; illustrating (art), and reading are all combined into one effective project.
10. Make Reading Fun
It is important to keep fun in your parent-child reading and to let joy set the tone and pace. While helping your child become a reader, the qualities of patience, confidence, and playfulness in your approach will get results. If, from time to time, your child gets distracted and loses interest, take a break. Children love to learn. Give them a little breathing room, and their interest will always be renewed.
Although the life of a parent is often hectic, you should try to read with your child at least once a day at a regularly scheduled time. But don't be discouraged if you skip a day or don't always keep to your schedule. Just read to your child as often as you possibly can.
If you have more than one child, try to spend some time reading alone with each child, especially if they're more than 2 years apart. However, it's also fine to read to children at different stages and ages at the same time. Most children enjoy listening to many types of stories. When stories are complex, children can still get the idea and can be encouraged to ask questions. When stories are easy or familiar, youngsters enjoy these "old friends" and may even help in the reading. Taking the time to read with your children on a regular basis sends an important message: Reading is worthwhile.
You may go through a period when your child favors one book and wants it read night after night. It is not unusual for children to favor a particular story, and this can be boring for parents. Keep in mind, however, that a favorite story may speak to your child's interests or emotional needs. Be patient. Continue to expose your children to a wealth of books and eventually they will be ready for more stories.
It's often a good idea to talk about a story you are reading, but you need not feel compelled to talk about every story. Good stories will encourage a love for reading, with or without conversation. And sometimes children need time to think about stories they have read. A day or so later, don't be surprised if your child mentions something from a story you've read together.
From time to time, invite other adults or older children to listen in or join in reading aloud. The message is: Reading is for everybody.