Tips for Parents

Your child will become a better learner when you are their partner in 
education.  You have an opportunity to make a critical difference in how 
successful your child will be in school.  Reading together is one way to 
become your child's partner in education.  Use the following tips when 
reading with your child.
*  Read to your child every night if you can.  This is one of the most 
important activities the two of you can share.
*  Your overall goal is to provide a pleasurable reading experience, try not 
to turn every reading session into a lesson.
*  Choose books that are the appropriate level for your child.
*  Choose books that are of interest to your child.
*  Occasionally, have your child place his or her finger under each word as 
the two of you read.
*  Ask your child to predict what will happen next at a natural point in a 
story.
*  Ask your child if they liked the way the story ended.  If not, ask them 
how they might change it.
*  Children often choose to hear the same story over and over.  This 
repetition helps your child with vocabulary, word recognition, and story 
sequence, among other important skills.
*  Don't worry about having your child read to you.  Your child will gain 
more from the experience if he or she is allowed to listen and take in the 
story while you read.