How Can Parents Help?

• Create a quiet, special place in your house for your child to read, write, and draw.  Keep books and other reading materials readily available.
• Help your child see that reading is important. Set a good example by reading books, newspapers and magazines.
• Limit the amount of time your child spends in front of a television.  Better yet, turn the tv off and spend the time instead cuddling and reading books together. The time and attention you give your child has many benefits beyond the success he/she will find at school.
• Use community libraries as a resource center for books that are "just-right" for your child.
• Read aloud with your child as often as possible.  Reread books 2-3 times to build fluency (accuracy and correctness).
• Challenge your child to decode a difficult word on their own. Allowing them to figure out a word independently really is a confidence booster.
• Stop during reading and ask your child to retell what is going on in their own words.  Be sure to use pictures, graphics to help make sense of the text.