LD OnLine

Ready to Read

By: U.S. Department of Education (2007)

Growing Readers

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Parents — you are your child's most important teacher! Using a few of these ideas, you can help your child enter the classroom ready to read.

Read with your child for 30 minutes each day.

Just like vitamins help your child's body grow strong, reading time helps develop your child's brain. Build up kids' "literacy nutrition" by reading with them every day!

Visit the library and give books as gifts.

Children should have lots of opportunities to read at home. A librarian can help you find the right books for your child. For more ideas, read Visit Your Local Library!

Limit TV.

A good collection of books and other activities can help stop the TV from taking over your child's free time.

Show your child that reading is fun.

Children learn what to expect about school and learning from the adults in their lives. When you read with them, and they see you reading for fun, children will become more interested in reading, too. They will also be more likely to keep trying if or when reading gets tough.

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Adapted from: Fast Facts on Raising Readers. What Families Can Do. America Reads Challenge, U.S. Department of Education.