Good Reading Habits

Reading is a lifelong skill that will enable children to read for fun, as part of a job, or to gain knowledge. It is important that the enjoyment and importance of reading is modeled at home beginning at just a few months of age.  

Here are a few tips on how to make the most of reading at home with your school-age child(ren):

• Establish a regular time and place for your child to read. This may be right when they get home from school, after dinner or even before bedtime. Setting up reading as part of a daily routine will help it to become a habit.
• Enrich your lives with books. Keep good books in different rooms of your home where they are accessible and easy to get to. Set up a reading corner with a bookcase or baskets of books in your child’s room, playroom or your family living room. 
• Read it again. Re-reading favorite books and poems may help children understand the meaning and read with even more accuracy. Children often enter a phase where they enjoy hearing the same books read over and over. This is a great way for them to build their comprehension skills. 
• Make waiting time reading time. Be sure to keep a couple of books in the car for kids to read as you drive, and always bring some along to read while you wait for the doctor or dentist. 
• Put it in writing. Encourage kids to write, whether it’s just their name, a shopping list, or a journal. They can write their own stories by telling them to you and letting you “publish” them with their illustrations. Always keep pencils, crayons, and paper on hand.
• Provide a location for reading that is away from the television, computer, video games, and other distractions.
• Show your kids how much fun reading is by reading yourself!

For more information visit:
http://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/family_guide%20%281%29.pdf
http://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/family_guide_hmong.pdf