READING

"Your kid could read a thousand books, but the ones they read with you... Give them the best chance at success. Read with your child." - Tiki Barber, Today Correspondent, NBC Sports

What You Should Know...

Approximately 30 million American adults have limited literacy skills. Reading habits develop from childhood, as infants learn to speak and listen. Parental involvement in a child's early years has a major impact on their future educational level, therefore, parents who are illiterate are more likely to have children with limited reading abilities. Illiteracy not only affects adults, but their children and family as well.

Family literacy

Forty-six percent of parents read to their children everyday. Children are more likely to succeed academically when they have the support of their family, therefore by participating in educational activities, parents give their child an advantage and prepare them for school.

Building reading skills in children

Reading aloud, introducing print materials to your children and encouraging positive reading experiences all have a beneficial effect on a child's learning and literacy. Children who are read to at least three times a week are almost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent in reading than those who are read to less than three times a week. As a result, reading to kids can have lasting effects on their educational level in the future.

Literacy starts at an early age; parents should begin reading to their child at six months of age. Infants learn most through sight and sound, reading facial expressions and movements. Therefore it is important to gesture, talk, smile, and sing to young children. They will eventually recognize that the words have specific meanings. Also, introduce children to books when they are babies- soft, washable books or touch and feel stories are a great way to introduce a child to reading in a way that is fun and interesting.

As infants grow into toddlers, parents should engage them in conversation about different objects, pointing out colors, names and shapes. Books with rhymes and poems help peak children's interest and also familiarize them with words and phrases. As a child begins school, parents should expand their library to include books with more words rather than pictures.

Around the age of four, children will begin to sound out words on their own. If they want to try reading themselves, encourage them. While most children are reading by the age of seven, each child begins developing reading skills at different times. Parents should not be discouraged if their children are reading at a later age- keep encouraging them and remain positive.

Knowledge about reading and writing go together; as children learn one, they are learning the other. When kids are toddlers, give them crayons and paper to write on. Drawing at an early age helps build muscle control, and soon your child will begin to write letters. Eventually, with the help of teachers and parents, children begin to learn the correct spelling of words. Therefore, reading skills are only a part of a larger learning process that progresses from talking, listening, reading and eventually to writing.

What You Can Do...

Learning to read starts in the home. By creating a comfortable atmosphere for children to read, parents can influence their learning abilities for the future. Here are a few tips that will help develop your child's reading skills and foster an environment that makes learning both fun and interesting for your child.

Set aside time
Try to read to your child everyday for 30 minutes. At first, read for only a few minutes at a time for several times a day, the gradually increase reading sessions as your child grows older.

Make it visual
Point to words as you read them in order to familiarize your child with what different words look like.

Be enthusiastic
Read various kinds of stories to your child, using different voices and changing your intonation in order to make the story more exciting. Singing the lyrics is also a good way to keep the attention of infants and toddlers.

Repeat
Read your child's favorite stories over and over again.

Keep a collection
Make sure your home has plenty of reading materials that are age-appropriate for your child. Keep a collection of books, magazines and newspapers available in the house.

Involve your child
Talk to your child about what you are reading; point out objects in pictures and talk about what is going on in the story. When your child gets old enough, ask questions as to what is going to happen next, what objects are in the pictures, and point out new words. Remember not to stop too often that your child forgets what is going on in the story.

Set a good example
Show your children that reading is important to you as well. Read books yourself and ask your child to join you.

Visit the library
Take trips to the library with your child and let them pick out a book for story time.

Read everything
Reading is not just limited to books. Read street signs, cereal boxes, letters - anything you and your child see throughout the day.

To Know More...

United States Department of Education
1-800-USA-LEARN
www.ed.gov

Jumpstart
www.jstart.org

Parent Teacher Association
www.pta.org