5 Tips to Grow a Good
Reader
Q.
I know that if my child is a good reader, the rest will follow in terms of
academic success. How can I make sure my child really likes to read, and is
good at it? She is 3. I have very little extra time or money.
Here are five tips assembled by
writer Payal Uttum, with some recommended books that will make for some
enjoyable reading experiences for you and your child together.
1. Pay attention to your child's interests. If your child is fascinated by
dinosaurs, buy science books describing different dinosaur types. A child is
more inclined to read if he or she is interested in a book's subject matter.
2. Show your child that reading is fun. Play games with your child after
she finishes reading and ask her to retell stories. Children can learn about
structure and how stories come together by talking about a story and re-telling
it in their own words.
3. Use bedtime bribes. Allow children to stay up for an
extra 15 minutes if they promise to spend that time reading. Once a child
starts reading, he discovers his interests. Soon he will no longer need an
extra incentive to read.
4. Practice what you preach. Be a role model for your child by
reading regularly and encourage all family members to read. Let your young
child "catch" you reading for fun, to learn things you need to know, or to
perform a task. Young children mimic the behavior of their older family members.
Children will be more inclined to pick up a book if they see their brothers and
sisters reading.
5.
Set a family reading time. Not only will this set a good example for your child, but
it will help enhance reading skills and build concentration while minimizing
time-wasting distractions in your home. Family reading time ensures that you
will be around to help if she is having difficulties with vocabulary or
sentence structure.
Recommended
Books:
And If the Moon Could Talk by Kate Banks, Farrar Straus &
Giroux, 1998.
How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long,
Harcourt Children"s Books, 2003.
David Goes to School by David Shannon,
Blue Sky Press, 1999.
Curious George by H. A. Rey, Houghton
Mifflin, 1973.
Daisy and the Egg by Jane Simmons,
Little Brown & Company, 1999.
