Tips for Encouraging Reading at Home

Most parents want to help their children learn to read. But many are intimidated at the thought of "teaching" their kids. I've heard some say, "I'm not a teacher. How can I help my children with their schoolwork?"

First of all, don't worry that you're "not a teacher." In fact, if you're a parent, then you certainly are a teacher. Your child's first teacher, in fact. So much of what children learn about the world, about people, about interactions and perceptions, all comes from growing up in their parents' or guardians' home.

While well-educated, caring school teachers are vital to children's learning, support and follow-up in the home are essential as well. Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Education and numerous independent organizations have documented the major impact that parental involvement has on the academic and future successes of children. Parents agree. In a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, four out of five parents said that lack of parent involvement is a "very important" reason that schools are not successful. 

Tips
How does this translate into helping children learn to read at home? There are many things you can do to create a "reader-friendly" home. Here are some suggestions:

• Have a variety of reading materials in your home - books, magazines, newspapers, posters, globes, even interesting "junk mail."
• Let your children "catch" you reading. Modeling reading shows them  that the skill is an important one.
     

•    Read with your children. Observe them to discover the best times for reading with them, times when they might like to settle down and snuggle up to you and an enjoyable story.

         •    Let your children choose reading materials. Remember that they might want to hear favorite stories over and over again! That's okay, and if you run your finger under the words as you read, they may begin to connect those repeated words from the story with their written counterparts. Suggest new stories that are similar and other stories by the same author for variety.

      •  Talk about what you read, both what you read as an adult and what you read together.