Give your children the gift of reading every day, and you will change their lives. Let’s work together towards making our children become lifelong readers.

Before children learn how to read, we need to model reading for and with them. Find a comfortable place to read, be consistent about reading every day, and select books that both you and your children will love to read together. Your children’s teachers will be reading aloud every day in class, and you will partner with them to continue the reading experience at home. Your children like what you like; if you read at home, if you read to them, they will want to read too. Reading aloud to your children needs to be fun for the whole family.

Here are some suggestions for reading aloud Here are some suggestions for reading aloud. This is a special time that you set aside to bond with your child. We want you to have fun reading together.

When children are first learning to read, having your child participate in reading aloud with you is a great way to help him continue to grow as a reader. The most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure your child doesn’t get frustrated or tired. You may choose to read a page and then your child can read a page to you. Find ways to support your child’s reading aloud with you; sometimes you might read a page and then have your child read it again to you. You may also choose to have you and your child read the page aloud together. It’s o.k. if your voice helps carry your child through the content. You want to ensure that your child feels successful reading together with you. You don’t have to be a reading expert; you just need to make sure that your child continues to enjoy the read-aloud experience with you.

When your child becomes an independent reader, it’s always important to monitor his or her reading progress. Help your child learn how to preview what he or she will be reading. Go over the table of contents, look at the illustrations, make a prediction about what the book is going to be about. Ask your child questions about what he or she has read. Encourage your child to talk about the books he or she is reading with you. Take the time to show an interest in what your child is currently reading.

If you don’t have a library card, be sure to go to the library to obtain a card for you and your child. Listen to what your child’s interests are and then help him or her select books that are the “right fit” for them. The children’s librarian there will be glad to help you choose special books for your child. Your child’s book interests expand every time you visit the library to obtain new titles!

Starting a home library for your child shows her how important books are. Your home library starts with collecting one book at a time. Become a treasure hunter. Go to flea markets, the local library, used bookstores, the Book Fair, or even garage sales.A cardboard box or a wooden packing crate that you can decorate together may make a good bookcase. Pick a special place where you will keep your child's books so that she knows where to look for them. Help your child arrange books in some order; use whatever method that will help your child most easily find the book he or she is looking for.

Twenty minutes is a magical number because children who read 20 minutes a day are exposed to about 1.8 million more words a year than a child who does not read or is not read to. If you get to hear, see, say, and read more than 1 million words every year, you are really more prepared for what you are expected to do in school. Select a consistent time and place to read together with your child every day.

You are so important to your child’s success as a reader You are so important to your child’s success as a reader. What you like, your child likes. When children see you reading, they want to read too. You are a very powerful model for your children. I guarantee you will enjoy re-reading many of the picture book classics you read when you were a child. Don’t be afraid to read the same book several times to your children; it actually helps them understand more and more about the content found in the book.

I hope reading together brings back memories of your favorite stories that you can talk with your child about when you read together. Don’t be surprised when you have other family members sitting in while you are reading aloud. You are giving your child and future generations a a priceless gift. It is one of the most pleasurable and memorable activities you can do with your family.