~ Explore Books! Give your child an opportunity to explore books. Visiting a library or bookstore gives your child a chance to find topics and books that interest them.

~ Read! Read! Read! Make sure to read at least 30 minutes per day! Children can read independently, aloud to an adult, or back and forth with a partner.

~ Ask Questions!

• Predictions
• Characters
• Main Idea
• Problem
• Solution
• Retell Story
• Genre
• Moral

~ Make it fun! Reading shouldn’t be a chore. Intentionally read with your child/discuss books but also research topics and do book activities together.

~ Be an Example! Children learn by example, so let your child see you read whether it be a book, newspaper, cookbook, etc.

~ Pick Good Fit books! A book that is a good match for your child should meet the following requirements:

• Purpose for reading
• Interest
• Can they understand what they are reading?
• Can they retell the story?
• Do they know most of the words?

~ For Beginning Readers:

• Point out and read words in natural settings – stores, streets, etc.
• Memorize sight words
• Visualize the story in your head
• Ask questions before, during and after

  Don’t immediately tell an unknown word to your child! Instead ask them to:

• Sound out the word
• Break the word into parts
• Try a different vowel sound (long/short)
• Use illustrations for clues
• Skip the word, re-read the sentence, and go back – what word would make sense?

~ For Advanced Readers:

• Notice interesting, new vocabulary words, and make it a challenge to use them in conversation
• Read with expression
• Explore non-fiction books and their text features (diagrams, table of contents, etc.) along with other genres as well
• Compare and contrast books
• Discuss connections to literature
• Think of new titles for books
• Explore multiple books from the same author