Ten Tips for How To Keep Your Child Reading at Home
www.thesuccessfulchildny.com
1. Set up “read a thons”
• Pick a time of day to curl up on the sofa or big bed (ALL of you) and read.
• You can take turns reading pages or each read your own book, the important part is the whole family is together and participating.
2. Create Competitions
• Challenge your little reader to a contest to see who can read more
• Keep track of pages or time spent and have a healthy competition. Most children take a lot of pride in “beating” mom and dad.
3. Write a story together, or keep a journal
• Sit down with your little reader and create a story.
• Start with “T’was the night before Christmas when….” Or “One winter’s day…” And let your imagination roll.
4. Keep a journal
• At the end of each day write what you did on that day, how much fun you had and what you are looking forward to doing the next day.
• After, have your child read it to you before bed.
5. Create a schedule
• Make reading a priority, set aside a specific time each day and keep it consistent.
• Ideally, this time would be first thing in the morning, before any fun activities wear your little one out.
6. Bake or cook with your child
• Pick out fun recipes and have your child read you the ingredients and all the steps as you do them. It is a good way to sneak some reading in and have a favorite treat.
7. Give them a “surprise book” each night
• Make it so that there is something to look forward to at bedtime.
• Create a game during the day where they can guess what the book will be about that night.
• Please keep in mind there is no need to buy a book for each day; go to the library and check out a stack and keep them hidden.
8. Create incentives
• Discuss something your child can earn by reading 20 minutes each day.
• Create a chart where they can see their progress each day, giving them a feeling of achievement and reward.
9. Create a game
• Stop reading at any point during the text and do not let your little reader know where you are AND have them jump in and finish the paragraph. – If your child does not know where you are
immediately, that’s a point for you; however, if they can jump right in, they earn the point.
– Keep track of points to determine a winner at the end.
10. Find books that coordinate with activities of the day
• If you are going ice skating, find a book about a famous ice hockey player or figure skater
• If you are sledding, find a book about a blizzard
• If you are watching a movie, find a book about Hollywood.
Please contact The Successful Child at 917-494-0262 or
[email protected], if you and your child need academic
assistance
