Discovery Arts and Technology Academy

Nurturing a love for reading and writing is a role that parents can play in their children’s lives. Success in school and later careers depends on having good reading and writing skills. These days we constantly hear about the importance of literacy. What does literacy mean? It’s the ability to read and write.

You can help your child develop a love for reading by reading out loud to him or her regularly. Research shows that reading together just 30 minutes a day significantly increases your child’s reading ability.

Another important activity for promoting literacy is using the library. Get a library card for each child and go often to select new books. Check with the librarian to find what is appropriate for your child’s grade and reading level. Take the time to look at your daily activities and help your child see the connection to reading and writing. Cooking, reading food labels, playing word games, and writing stories can be helpful, too.

For children who don’t read much, it might take time to get used to reading aloud, and later, silent reading. Give it the time it deserves. You may get tired of reading the same stories again and again, but it is that repetition that is so important for your child.

Children see adults around them writing and reading messages, notes, articles or books. This often makes them want to say their ideas out loud so you can write them down. At preschool age or older, children begin to write, using their own invented spelling or best guess. They understand that writing helps them share important information and experiences. It is less important for children to spell the words right than it is to enjoy the experience. Correct spelling can happen a little later.

Language and Reading Activities

Here are some easy language and reading activities to do together with children at home or at school.

At home:

·      read the mail and let children have what you do not need

·    browse together through catalogs

·    keep a family calendar with messages and reminders

·    send birthday and other special occasion cards with personal notes

·    create a family library of magazines, newspapers and books

·    save a space at the kitchen table for drawing and writing

·    have your child tell a story as you write it down

·    read books with your child

For the store:

·    write shopping lists and clip coupons

·    discuss recipes and ingredients

·    read food labels and containers (children love cereal boxes)

·    read words on birthday cakes

Other places:

·    go to the library, yard sales and school fundraisers for sources of books

·    read the names and numbers on athletes’ shirts

·    get library cards for your family and go every few weeks

Creating A Special Place

You can encourage your child to include reading and writing in his or her activities by providing a special place. You might have a child-sized table or desk and low, open shelves, but a designated chair at the kitchen table can work well, too. A nearby bulletin board to display finished work is a good idea. Here are some suggested materials to have available:

·                  magnet boards with alphabet numbers and letters

·                  magnetic poetry

·                  chalkboards and chalk

·                  alphabet and number tiles

·                  puzzles

·                  stamps and stamp pads

·                  clipboards and file folders

·                  envelopes and paper (different sizes and colors, lined  and unlined)

·                  junk mail, catalogues, magazines, coupons

·                  mailbag or mailbox (recycle an old handbag or shoebox)

·                  pencils (regular and colored) and pens

·                  crayons and markers (nontoxic, thick and thin)

·                  paints and brushes

·                  magic slates

·                  bookbinding materials (stapler, hole punch, yarn, scissors)

·                  ready-made blank books

Source:  The Daily Parent, Vol. 8. The Daily Parent Online