Studies done during the last decade show a sharp decline in the number of students who read for fun and a decrease in home support for reading.
U.S. Department of Education statistics show on average mothers spend less than 30 minutes a day and fathers even less only 15 minutes a day talking with their children. Idaho families can buck these trends by spending time together during Idaho Family Reading Week (mid-November each year) and throughout the year, by getting back to basics.
State Librarian Dr. Charles Bolles challenges families to visit their public library, read more books, and spend more time talking and reading aloud with children. He also views Idaho Family Reading Week as an opportunity for the community to celebrate literacy.
"By combining efforts and involving as many Idahoans as possible, we have a much better chance of reaching Idaho parents with the read aloud message," Dr. Bolles said. "Reading aloud is the single most important thing parents can do to ensure their child's success in school and libraries are a great place for families to learn more together."
Here are some things parents and caregivers can do to help develop a love of reading from a young age:
- Talk, read and sing to your child every day.
- Ask grandparents, aunts, and uncles to share family stories, lullabies, or nursery rhymes with younger family members.
- Learn new fingerplays (finger puppets) or songs to sing with your child.
- Visit your public library and have your child select books to read.
- Create a "reading" home by placing books everywhere. Books put in the kitchen or the bathroom can be enjoyed any time children are in that room.
- Be selective and involved in your children's television watching.
- "Parents who read and whose homes have lots of reading materials also have children who get a lot of reading done," Bolles said. "And we all know that good reading skills are linked with success in school and later life."
Additional Internet Resources
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Dinner and A Book Idaho's Superintendent of Public Instruction's Dinner & a Book initiative asks parents to connect daily through 20 minutes of conversation and 20 minutes of reading together. The web site lists suggested books for families and some links to other important resources.
Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader U.S. Department of Education, America Reads Challenge, July 1999. This publication provides the latest research and recommendations to help all children succeed in reading. Single copies are available free of charge by calling 1-877-433-7827.
Ready*Set*Read! Early Childhood Reading Readiness Program The kit was developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Corporation for National Service, and the Department of Education to advance President Clinton's challenge to help every child in America read independently and well by the end of the third grade. The kit includes: The READY*SET*READ Activity Guides for Families and Caregivers, which provide ideas you can use to help young children learn about language with age-appropriate activities. Spanish versions of the Activity Guides for Familias and Cuidadores de Ni¤os Peque¤os are also available.
Language and Children Article on the Early Childhood Information Clearinghouse.
Special Articles of Interest
Video Resources
Helpful videos on reading and early literacy:
- Baby Talk / Habla del Nino, v. 13 of the First and Foremost Series Building language skills in children from birth to 2.
- Books and Babies/Los Libros, Sus Ninos, v. 12 of the First and Foremost Series Reading aloud to infants and toddlers.
- Born to Succeed: An Early Literacy Message from Young Parents. Shows real parents reading to infants and talking about its importance. 10 min. 1997 V-3694; Spanish version: V-3698
- Emergent Literacy Project Series:
- Emergent Literacy: What and Why?, v. 1 16 min. 1996 V-1181; Spanish version: V-7211
- Creating a Print Rich Environment, v. 2 23 min. 1996 V-1182; Spanish version: V-7212
- Creating a Classroom that Supports Emergent Writing, v. 3 19 min. 1996 V-1183; Spanish version: V-7213
- Creating a Literate Environment in the Home, v. 4, 16 min. 1996 V-1184; Spanish version: V-7214
- Food for Thought. This video explains the vital link between reading, brain development, and intelligence. Shows that the more we read to and interact with children, the greater the positive impact on their future. A must for anyone interested in the intellectual development of children. 14 min. 1998 V-7148
- From Wibbleton to Wobbleton. Sally Jaeger has been sharing lap rhymes, finger plays, songs, and lullabies for more than 20 years in her parent-baby programs. Now you can join her too! Place your baby on your lap and play along soon you'll know her delightful collection by heart. 40 min. 1998
- Linking Literacy & Play. Provides early childhood teachers, parents, and caregivers with ideas about how to use the natural environment of play to foster literacy development. The accompanying facilitator's guide provides a collection of ideas and insights on how to combine literacy and play. 12 min. 1995 V-7136
- Read Aloud Now. The benefits of reading aloud to children have been proven again and again. This video examines the most effective ways to make reading aloud fun for both the child and the adult. Highly recommended for teachers, parents, care givers, and children's librarians. 13 min. 1992 V-2057
- Read Together, Grow Together. Shows the enjoyment and fulfillment of families who read together, and communicates the importance of parents reading to their children from a young age. It gives concrete ideas about how parents can share books with their children, and it gives good examples of how parents and children can make use of the library. 30 min. 1993 V-187; Spanish version: V-188
- Read with Me. Features two real families whose easy-going, everyday interaction around books and reading is a great model for parents of preschoolers fellow moms and dads describe the joys of making time to read with their children. Winner of the 1998 National Education Media Network Bronze Apple for excellence in educational media. 11 min. 1997
- Read with Me...The Teacher-Parent Partnership. Visits two preschool classrooms where books are a highlight of each day. To help preschool teachers and parents connect reading at school and home, this unique video demonstrates specific how-tos and shows how effective reading is in building children's learning skills and self-confidence. 7 min. 1997
- What Children Need in Order to Read. Reading expert and Harvard University scholar Marily Jager Adams shares her expertise in this enlightening program. Factors that affect reading success, such as alphabet-letter knowledge, text awareness, and phoneme recognition, are thoroughly discussed by Adams, who strongly urges parents to read aloud to their children (beginning at two months of age), play word games, and engaging other reading activities. 30 min. 1998 V-7127
- The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First Five Years Series; Let's Talk About It, v. 12.
- The Process of language acquisition and methods for increasing language competence. V-7162.
Helpful books available through your public library regarding reading and early literacy (not available in Spanish):
- 125 Brain Games for Babies by Jackie Silberg (Consortium Book Sales, 1999) ISBN: 0876591993 $14.95
- Babies Need Books: Sharing the Joy of Books With Your Child from Birth to Six by Dorothy Butler (revised edition) (Heinemann, 1998) ISBN: 0435081446 $15.95
- Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn (NTC/Contemporary Publishing, 1996) ISBN: 0809234300 $12.95
- How Babies Talk: The Magic and Mystery of Language in the First Three Years of Life by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff and Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek (E P Dutton, 1999) ISBN: 0525944559 $25.95
- The Parents' & Teachers' Guide to Helping Young Children Learn: Creative Ideas from 35 Respected Experts by Betty Farber (Preschool Pubns., 1997) $24.95
- Playtime Rhymes by Priscilla Lamont (DK, 1998) ISBN: 078942861X $12.95
- Playing with Print: Fostering Emergent Literacy by Carol Ann Bloom (Addison Wesley, 1997) ISBN: 0-673-36326-0 $14.95
- The Read-Aloud Handbook (4th Ed) by Jim Trelease (Penguin, 1995) ISBN: 0140469710 $13.95
- Read to Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read by Bernice E. Cullinan (Scholastic, 1992) ISBN: 0590452061 $4.99
- Ready, Set, Read and Write: 60 Playful Activities for You and Your Child to Share by Marlene Barron (John Wiley, 1995) ISBN: 0471102830 $12.95
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Copyright 2007 by Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
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