Every year, parents of children in Grade 1 start to freak out. My kid isn’t reading yet! He’s six and my son shows no interest in books. Is my daughter normal? She’s not reading!
The good news is: your kid is normal.
Do not panic. Do not stress. Don’t even worry, in fact. Your child can and will grow up to be a great reader, as long as you do a few simple but important things.
- Read to your child every day (or evening, say, before bed).
- Give your child books. From the library. From the bookstore. From Goodwill. From the neighbour. From the school. From you. From your parents. Anywhere—just as long as some of them are your child’s, to keep, to read, to mishandle, to chew, to do anything they want with.
- Let your kid see you reading.
For more information about why these are the top three, click here.
More good news: If you only ever do #1 on this list, you’ll probably end up with a reader on your hands. A great reader. Because, according to all the research and the literacy experts, #1 is by far the most important thing you can do to foster reading.
Are there other things you can do? You betchya! This blog has a zillion ideas to… well, to get kids reading. Ahem. Right now, for instance, you can enroll your child in a summer reading program at the library. It’s free and kids love it. If your library doesn’t have one, create your own. Seriously. Bonus side effect: 15 minutes of downtime every time you give your child a book. You’re welcome.
Here are some other fun and easy activities you can do with your child to foster reading.
Supermarket scavenger hunt; In-car literacy games; online game that promotes reading, typing; reading comprehension.
