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Start at the beginning. Setting the foundation for reading
success is necessary before your child begins first grade, and will be crucial
to academic achievement in a variety of subjects. Research shows that reading
to children as early as infancy can give them a strong base for language
concepts and cognitive skills related to print. Introduce your children to
colorful story and picture books to foster a love of reading. Establish a
routine; reading stories at bedtime is a cozy way to promote literacy. Make it
interactive. Have children help turn pages and encourage them to discuss the
story’s plot and characters.
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Explore your neighborhood library together. Take your
children to the local library and introduce them to the wide selection of
books, newspapers, magazines, and story telling programs that they have to
offer. Also, don’t forget that your library’s computer provides the perfect
opportunity to introduce your children to the Internet. Go online with them
and show them how to do research for school projects and papers.
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Volunteer at your child’s school. Studies show that
parent involvement is correlated with reading achievement. Given adequate
training, parents can help in the classroom by volunteering to serve as tutors
in the school. Support the school’s literacy efforts and advocate for
effective instructional materials and modern technology, including computers
and access to the Internet, so that all children have excellent learning
opportunities. Work through a parent organization, like the PTA, to develop
and build strong relationships between parents and educators. Discuss ways
that reading performance can be reinforced in the home.
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Write it out. Writing gives children opportunities to use
their reading competence. Support your children’s creative and expository
writing efforts and encourage them to keep a journal or diary so they can
practice at home.
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Enroll your children in after-school, child care, or summer programs
that cultivate and reinforce reading skills. If your school doesn’t
offer these types of programs, urge the school’s administrators and the school
board to provide them.
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Be a "study buddy." You can help your child
organize information, look for key ideas in books, and practice reading out
loud. Point out everyday tasks like interpreting instructions, recipes, and
road signs, that require solid reading skills. Be sure to have plenty of
interesting reading materials at home such as books, magazines, and newspapers
to encourage your child to read more frequently. Practice makes perfect.
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Ask for help. If your child is having difficulty with
reading, speak with your child’s educator about having the problem addressed.
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Support school reform. Advocate at the local, state, and
national levels for school reform efforts, like class size, teacher training,
and parent involvement, which are proven to make a difference in early reading
performance and other subjects.
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Start the day off right. Make sure your kids are well rested,
organized, and have a nutritious breakfast every day so that they arrive at
school ready to learn.
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Rhyme to reason. Giving children experience with rhyming is
an effective way to build phonemic awareness and requires children to focus on
the sounds inside words.
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