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How can you encourage your child to read more?
First, let them see you reading, keep independent reading material plentiful, and read aloud to them. When choosing books, keep in mind the child’s age, interests, and recent experiences. Your child could use the “rule of thumb” to see if a book is on her reading level. Have your child read a page of the book aloud. Have her hold up one finger for each word she does not know. If she holds up four fingers and a thumb before the end of the page, the book is probably too hard for her to read alone but might be a great book to read aloud.
When Reading Aloud . . .
- Don’t read stories you don’t enjoy yourself.
- Don’t be surprised if your kids interrupt with a lot of questions. Answer the questions. There’s no hurry.
- Don’t confuse quantity with quality. Your child will remember ten minutes of reading together far longer than he will remember two hours of television.
- Don’t try to compete with the television.
A U.S. Department of Education study revealed that the average American mother spends less than 30 minutes a day talking to her children; Average American father—15 minutes. The overwhelming conclusion of parent involvement research over the years is that what parents do at home has a critical influence on their children’s success in school. And, if somehow we could gather all the researchers in a room and ask them to name the single most important thing parents could do to help their children learn, they would almost certainly answer, “Read to children, listen to them read to you, and help them build a love of reading.”
