Read to Your Child Every Day

The most important activity that you can do to help me succeed in school is to read aloud to me every day from the time I am a newborn. Reading to me as a newborn helps the parts of my brain that handle speech and language develop.  The more words I hear when you talk, read and sing to me, the more this part of my brain grows. Reading to me will provide me with the skills I need to learn to read, write and understand information when I am older.

You can easily find items to read with me:

• books from the library
• newspapers
• catalogs
• magazines

You can help me to like reading. Read to me as a newborn for a few minutes at a time.  When I lose interest, stop reading.  As I get older, read to me for a longer time.

Make it part of my routine to read to me at least one time during the day.  Say nursery rhyes and fingerplay and sing songs with me throughout the day.  They help me learn to listen and remember.

Get a library card so that we can borrow books and videos for free from the library.  The librarian can tell you about good books for you to read to me.

Let me choose the books that I want you to read to me.  Be patient with me if I want you to read the same ones over and over.  Repeating helps me to remember; it's my way of practicing.  Keep books where I can reach them.  Have books in the rooms where I play.  Keep books in the bag we take everywhere we go.  Encourage me whenever I try to read letters, pictures, signs and books.

Take me to story time programs at the library.

As we read together:

• Point to the pictures and words that you are describing.
  
• Talk the way that you think the character speaks.  If the character is happy, sound happy when you read to me.

• Talk to me about the story.  When you talk to me, I learn new words.  Point to the pictures and ask me questions such as what I liked about the story and what happened.  Asking me questions about the story will help me learn to think.

• Let me try to read the story back to you, even if I make up the words.  This will help me become a good reader and will help me to learn to talk too.

When you read a book to me, we share a new world.  I have fun and feel very close to you.

credit to:  I Am Your Child Texas Network; the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension for Delaware Health and Social Services Early Intervention System; and Indiana Family and Social Services Administration