How Your Family Can Encourage Children’s Reading and Writing

Tips from Scholastic for Reading to Your Child

Q:  Could you provide suggestions on how I should read to my child?  How do I draw my child's attention to what is being read?

A:  Your question is such an important one, because it is easy to underestimate the value of reading to your child and its connection to your child learning to read fluently and with good comprehension.  One of the simplest but most critical techniques you can use is to "think aloud" in a conversational way.  By this I mean that you can express the things you are noticing or wondering about as you get deeper into the story.

For example, in a story where a caterpillar eats different foods every day for a week, you might pause part way through the story and comment on what he has eaten so far.  You could then wonder aloud what he might eat next, inviting your child to turn the page to find out.  This fosters critical thinking (prediction skills) and keeps your child involved in the flow of the story.

Another point to keep in mind is that children benefit enormously by hearing stories read aloud more than once.  The first time you read should be simply for enjoyment.  It is not critical that your child processes every page in detail.  On subsequent readings, you can take the time to explore parts of the book more deeply -- examining the illustrations in terms of the words on the pages or inviting your child to chime in and "read" parts of the story that he remembers.

Parental involvement means the participation

of parents in regular, two-way, and

meaningful communication involving

student academic learning and other

school activities, including ensuring—

(A)    that parents play an integral role in

assisting their child’s learning;

(B)    that parents are encouraged to be actively

involved in their child’s education at school;

(C)    that parents are full partners in their child’s

education and are included, as appropriate, in

decision-making and on advisory committees to

assist in the education of their child;

(D)    the carrying out of other activities, such as

those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.