Reading Resources

Parents and caretakers often wonder how they can support their children's reading development at home. Here are some tips on building a lifelong reader:

• Read aloud to your child every day! Make this a time of joy and togetherness. By reading aloud, you are building your child's vocabulary, knowledge of the world, and comprehension--and modeling what a good reader sounds like! Even older children who are capable readers benefit from being read to.

• Visit the library frequently and allow your child to choose reading materials.

• Ask your child to read to you, but if your child seems frustrated or bored with a reading task, then switch gears so that it is an enjoyable activity and your child feels successful. You might try an easier book, take turns reading pages, ask your child to read a page after you have read it, or ask your child to only read a particular word aloud it appears in the book. 

• Five- to seven-year-olds benefit from playing with magnetic letters. Encourage them to make a word, then exchange just one letter at a time to make new words.

• As you go about your day with your preschooler or kindergartner, play games in which you think of silly rhymes for words or take turns saying words that start with the same sound. These oral activities help build children's phonological awareness--an important predictor of later reading success.