When’s the BEST Time to Read?

With a new school year right around the corner, it’s a great time for your family to establish some new–and tried and true–reading routines!

We know that reading aloud every day with children is crucial in building those little minds. But I do understand how it can become monotonous or… sometimes….skipped:/

Reading needs to be exciting and looked forward to! Remember-it’s not just the book itself that matters. It is also the interactions that you and your child share while using the book:)

What can we do to make reading an enjoyable part of our day?

• Encourage your child to choose the book. Of course, it may be that you are re-reading a favorite book A LOT. That repetition strengthens learning! But you can mix up how you read it! Ask your child to “read” every other page by describing the illustrations. You can read the first half of the book aloud and have your child make up the ending.
• Sprinkle questions throughout the reading–before, during, and after. Include questions that spark the imagination. For example, “Look at the book cover. What do you think will happen?”
• Make connections between the characters and your child. “That was scary. How would you feel if that happened to you?”
• Write your own story. Ask your child questions and record the answers. Then let the illustrating begin!
• Create Letter/Word/Bilingual Cards to use as labels around the house. If your child is learning the alphabet, practicing sounds, working on new vocabulary, or trying a new language, it’s a great way to “make reading” everywhere!
• Stop your normal routine and say “BOOK BREAK”! For the next 10-15 minutes, enjoy some time in a fictitious world. Maybe you’ll be in an underwater adventure or eating at a restaurant, maybe driving on a long trip, or floating in a hot air balloon.
• Try a new time for reading every day. Would a breakfast story be a good way for your families to start the day? What about using reading to reconnect with each other as soon as everyone is home for the day?
• Suspending time for just a few minutes right before bed. The tried and true, BEDTIME STORY! Who doesn’t look forward to quiet time with your favorite characters before settling down for the night?

Happy Reading!

Lisa Davis,

Early Literacy Coordinator

Resources

For information about factors that impact your child during the first 2000 days, please go to https://buildthefoundation.org/issue/reading-with-children/.

For more book lists broken down by age, check out, https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/books-and-reading-guides/recommended-childrens-books-by-age.html.