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Literacy development is a continuous process that begins in infancy when babies are first exposed to language, books, and stories. Its roots are in the home, with branches extending to other environments. Books are the key ingredients to creating a literacy-rich home environment. Families can support language and literacy learning by creating a home atmosphere in which reading, writing, talking, and listening are a natural part of daily life. We are encouraged in our homes to:

Establish a regular time and place for daily read-aloud sessions, such as before bed or during bath time.
Keep on hand a variety of reading materials such as picture books, chapter books, atlases, dictionaries, magazines, and newspapers, and acquire library cards for everyone to use often.
Share our love of books and reading. As adults we can say to children, "This was my favorite book when I was your age," or "I can't wait to start my new book."
Talk about what our children read and encourage children to think, solve problems, and make predictions. Parents may discuss the books a child is reading, then ask questions such as, "Did you ever...?" or "How would you feel if that happened to you?"
Have plenty of paper and writing tools on hand to respond to our reading..
Store books and writing materials in places children can reach.
Have frequent conversations with each child, as well as with the family as a whole. We should encourage everyone to express their ideas, opinions, and feelings.
Reinforce language and literacy skills by doing puzzles and playing games that reinforce literacy, such as Lotto, Candyland, Old Maid, Concentration, Scrabble, and Trivial Pursuit.
Model reading and writing for pleasure and for specific uses, such as making a shopping list.
Respond positively to children's reading and writing efforts.
Set aside plenty of time for reading, by balancing time devoted to sports, television, and other activities.

All of the above strategies tell children that reading and writing are important lifelong activities that are fun and useful. Families also can show children how much they value reading and writing by building partnerships with the teachers and programs at Lady Liberty Academy. (Adapted from: Providing a Literacy-Rich Home.)

Reading is Fundamental

May 1st, 2008

Some tips to use at home.

Ask your child read aloud to you every night. Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, for your child to do her/his nightly reading assignments.

Point out spelling and sound patterns such as cat, pat, hat. as your child reads, When your child reads aloud to you and makes a mistake, point out words she has missed and help her to read the word correctly.

After your child has stopped to correct a word he has read, have him go back and reread the entire sentence from the beginning to make sure he understands what the sentence is saying. Ask your child to tell you in his/her own words what happened in a story.

To check your child's understanding of what s/he is reading, occasionally pause and ask your child questions about the characters and events in the story.

Ask your child why she thinks a character acted in a certain way and ask your child to support her answer with information from the story.

Before getting to the end of a story, ask your child what s/he thinks will happen next and why. (Parent Tips.)

Tune in to Reading at Home!

Reading is Fundamental