1. Bring back theRead-Aloud!Reading out loud is not only a stepping stone to learing to read silently; it’s also a way to build vocaulary, attention skills, and comprehension! Switch things up! Don’t only read at bedtime! Read at breakfast or after school. Have siblings read to each other or the family pet! Alternate chapters or pages with your child!

2. Take it on the road!Books are portable entertainment. Keep a book in the car to read while you are logging miles to and from activities. Keep a book in your bag to read while you are waiting at a restaurant or doctor’s appointment!

3. Bring stories to life!Read horse books before your child goes to horseback riding lessons. Read football or baseball books before the big game. Keep the topics relevant to what is going on in your child’s life!

4. Be a reading buddy!Model good reading habits for your child by choosing a book over TV. If you see your child reading, drop what you are doing and sit down with a book of your own. If possible, make reading a family event!

5. Make books a basic!Look at reading material like food and clothes - don’t leave bookshelves empty. Fill them with interesting things for your child to read!

http://www.parenting.com/article/5-ways-to-make-reading-fun

FAMILY FUN NIGHT: READING!

HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

5 Ways to Make Reading

Fun!

There are many great resources available on the Internet for you and your child to

use to make reading more fun!

www.trelease-on-reading.com

Jim Trelease wrote the book (actually!) about the benefits of reading aloud. We have a copy in the library - ask to borrow it! Not only does this book explain why reading is so valuable, it also gives many great suggestions for read-alouds to enjoy with your children!

www.guysread.com !

Guys Read is a web-based literacy program for boys founded by author Jon Scieszka. Their mission is to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers. This website is all about “guys” and offers recommendations of books to read in different genres and themes.

www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/!

Visit this website to help you and your child find more books to enjoy together. Click on SIMILAR BOOKS to find read-alikes to favorites you have read together.

mrschureads.blogspot.com

Mr. Schu is a K-5 teacher librarian at Brook Forest Elementary School in Oak Brook. His blog, Watch.Connect.Read, was a runner-up in the 2012 edublog awards for Library/Librarian blogs. He shares all sorts of great information about wonderful books (and more) that you might enjoy with your kids!

http://www.neh.gov/news/summertime-

favorites

This website offers links to lists of books broken down by age group that make for great reading - together or alone!

WEB RESOURCES

Here are some ideas to help make reading with your child a valuable and

fun experience for both of you!

• Choose a comfortable space to read where your children can sit next to you and follow along.

• Read often to your children - start or end the day with a book!

• Help children learn as you read - make observations, explain new words, point out interesting pictures that support the story.

• Ask your child questions as you read that will help them make connections to their own lives or to other books they have read.

• Read many kinds of books - both stories and informational books. Also, read in many genres like mystery, adventure, historical fiction, and fantasy.

•Re-read favorite books - hearing books over and over helps children understand more and notice new things!

•Make a game of reading - create a chart or make a paper chain link with the name of each book you have read

together. See how long the chain gets over the course of the year.

• Track books you have read at goodreads.com; help your child give them star ratings and/or reviews. You can also create a shelf of books you would like to read together in the future!

DID YOU KNOW?

Students who read magazines and newspapers regularly for enjoyment also tend to be better readers than those

students who do not.

If you read 20 minutes each day, you will read 3600 minutes in a school year - by the end of 6th grade, that will have

added up to the equivalent of 60 whole school days!

Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and

cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity and memory.

Reading aloud gives children background knowledge, which

helps them make sense of what they see, hear, and read.

The more adults read aloud to children, the larger their vocabularies will grow and the more they will know about

the world and their place in it.

Boys lag behind girls in reading proficiency in all 50 states - in some states by as much as 10 percentage points.

Reading to younger children prepares them for school by teaching them the skills they need to be good listeners.

Reading to older kids helps them understand grammar and correct sentence structure.

Being read to builds children’s attention spans and helps them hone their listening skills - a good tool for the

classroom!

Reading to your kids is BONDING TIME! It is good for you and good for them!

TIPS FOR READING WITH YOUR CHILD

Reading Makes a

Difference!!

Read to a child 20 minutes a day - it makes a difference!