The ABCs of How You Can Help At Home

Following is a list of 26 ideas that you might want to do with your child to help him/her develop as a reader.

Assorted Materials . . . provide your
child with an assortment of picture books, alphabet books, poetry, nursery rhymes, fairy tale collections, non-fiction materials, comics, magazines, and computer software.		 Bookmaking . . . assist your child to create his/her own books.

Cooking . . . involve your child in cooking activities and reading recipes.
Discussions. . . involve your child inn conversations with you and other family members. Errands . . . take your child with you on errands (groceries, gas station, ...) to notice the print-rich environment outside the home.
Finding answers. . . spark your child's natural curiousity and beginning research skills by showing how to use print materials to find answers to questions. Grab their attention . . .seek out books by favorite authors and illustrators!
Holiday gifts . . . buy a book for your child as a gift for a special occasion. Interests . . . look for opportunities to share your child's interest in a topic and help him/her explore it.
Jokes. . . encourage the playfulness of language and the development of communication skills by sharing jokes and riddles. Kittens and puppies . . .teach your child to care for pets by looking up information on the subject in books or on CD-ROMs.
Letter writing. . . promote meaningful writing by helping your child create and compose cards, thank you notes, invitations, and letters. Magazines. . . subscribe to children's magazines and have others available in your home.

Nursery rhymes. . . share nursery rhymes and stories from your childhood.
Opportunities for sharing reading. . set aside some time every day for reading together. Patience. . . learning takes time. It's a wonderful gift to give your child!
Questions. . . listen to your child and encourage your child's questions. Take time to provide satisfying answers. Reading aloud . . . model your love of reading by taking time to read to your child every day.
Science time. . . link the wonders of the world with literature. Share books about the senses, how things work, nature, outdoors, and topics of interest to your child. Television time. . . watch various programs with your child and talk about them.
Uplifting support . . . give lots of encouragement, praise, and time as your child learns to read and write. Value literacy. . . let your child see family members reading and writing for different reasons, and talk about what they are doing.
Writing experiences. . . make a variety of writing materials available for your child, such as pencils, pens, crayons, markers, and different types of paper. X-tra special attention. . . give extra attention to your child as he/she is learning to read and write.
Your literate home environment . . . provide opportunities for your child to talk, to listen, to read, to write, to look, to ask questions, to imagine, to wonder, to make pictures, to ... Zoo trips . . . take your child to the zoo, to museums, amusement parks, public libraries, ... have fun together!