Reading With Your Younger Child
On this page you will find different resources to help your child with reading at home.
All of these activities are meant to be done easily and in a fun manner. Please contact one of us or your child's teacher if you have additional questions or need additional resources.
*Watch a video of how to help your early reader when they are reading with you at home.
Fun with letters and words
-Magnetic letters are great reading tools! - You can sort letters by tall letters/short letters, letters with circles, letters with tunnels, letters with tails, by colors, -Match uppercase and lowercase letters -Make cat and have them change it to sat...
-Games to Play -Play games like Zap (write words on tongue depressors then take turns pulling them out of a can. If you get a stick that says “ZAP!” you put all your sticks back into the can. A good rule of thumb - use no more than three ZAP sticks for every 20 words), Old Maid, Go Fish and Concentration are also fun games to play to help increase word knowledge
-Word and Letter Fun on the Run:
~You can practice and look for letters and words anywhere...with chalk in the driveway, in the sand at the beach, in the car or even at the grocery store
~Ask your child to name a word that starts like “banana” etc.
~Running errands in the car? Tell your child to name the store that rhymes with “Margret”
~Ask your child to take turns saying the alphabet with you. You start with A, child says B, you say C, and so on.
Printable bookmark: How to help your child when he/she is stuck on a word
Reading at home
Reading at home should always feel like a fuzzy blanket, not sandpaper! Home is the perfect place to build a love and appreciation of reading. What can help foster a life-long reading habit?
~Set a time for the whole family to read. Let your child see YOU read! Create a home where literacy is valued.
~Have books in every room.
~Create a cozy spot that will help your child think of reading as positive experience and not just “homework.”
~As your child builds stamina, you may want to read a page, and then your child reads a page.
~Reading a book that is too difficult can seem like work and result in bad habits. When a book is too difficult - read it to them! There is no better model than your reading! Welcome them to help you with a word or two that they know!
~Readers love to talk about books - ask questions to help get your child talking about what he/she has read. An added bonus is it helps comprehension to chat about books! Remember to add your thinking too - it is a conversation, not a test.
*What questions might spur conversation?
*What happened in the book?
*What was your favorite part?
*What is the character like?
*What made you think that?
*Did the character change in the book?
*Did this book remind you of anything?
Visiting The Library
The library is a wonderful place to build a love of learning! We highly recommend visiting your local library early and often! Once you are there, it is easy to become overwhelmed by all of the choices, levels, series, and types of books. It can be especially difficult to find a book that your young reader can actually read. If that is the case, don’t fret! Here are some helpful tips:
~Let your child spend some time browsing, take note of the types of books he/she gravitates towards.
~Do NOT get concerned with “levels” provided by the publishers. These levels are usually different than what your child’s teachers use at school and are often arbitrary based on different publishers. For example, “Step One” may be too difficult for a young reader and does not necessarily mean “easy.”
~If your child is not ready to read a chosen book from the library, feel free to read the book to your child. Ask questions about the characters’ feelings, the story line, or setting. Your young reader can even make predictions and practice comprehension!
~He/she can also enjoy the pictures and tell you a story about what he/she sees.
~Older siblings, cousins and grandparents can also read these books to your child.
~Don’t be afraid to just ask the librarians for help! They are a wonderful resource!
~Feel free to get recommendations from your child’s teachers.
~Let your child spend some time browsing, take note of the types of books he/she gravitates towards.
~Do NOT get concerned with “levels” provided by the publishers. These levels are usually different than what your child’s teachers use at school and are often arbitrary based on different publishers. For example, “Step One” may be too difficult for a young reader and does not necessarily mean “easy.”
~If your child is not ready to read a chosen book from the library, feel free to read the book to your child. Ask questions about the characters’ feelings, the story line, or setting. Your young reader can even make predictions and practice comprehension!
~He/she can also enjoy the pictures and tell you a story about what he/she sees.
~Older siblings, cousins and grandparents can also read these books to your child.
~Don’t be afraid to just ask the librarians for help! They are a wonderful resource!
~Feel free to get recommendations from your child’s teachers.