Let's Read: Open the door to a wider, richer world for your child

Oh, how little children love to be read to. How many times I heard my son and daughter plead: "Just one more bedtime story, dad? Pleeeease."

When the children were a little older, my wife, Phyllis, and I decided to group read "Treasure Island." Every evening, one of the four of us would read one chapter aloud while the others listened. My two children are grown now and they occasionally mention our Treasure Island group read - they certainly remember the story, but more importantly they recall that special family time with great fondness. I'm so glad we kept reading to and with our children.

Truly, when parents help their children learn to read, they open the door to a big, exciting world. As a parent, you can begin an endless learning chain: You read to your children, they develop a love of stories and poems, they want to read on their own, they practice reading, and finally, they read for their own information or pleasure.

When children become readers, their world is forever wider and richer.

Here are a few things you can do to instill in your child a love of reading.

• Read aloud to your child at every opportunity. And don't limit yourself to just books. Read newspaper and magazine articles, the back of the cereal box, labels on cans, or directions.
• Read poems aloud together to learn about rhythm and repeated sounds in language.
• Point to the words on the page when you read. Move your finger from left to right.
• Listen to your child read homework or favorite stories to you everyday.
• Go to the library together and check out books. Be sure to ask the librarian for good books or to help you find what you need.
• Have books, magazines and papers around the house, and let your child see that you like to read, too.
• Encourage older children to read to younger children.
• Help experienced readers talk and write about what they read.

You'll unlock a chest of treasures when you teach your children the love of reading. So, let's read!