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It is very important to instill
the importance of reading in your child's life at an early age.
It is however, just as essential to keep the interest level alive as
they get older. Below you will find some tips to help keep the
fun of reading alive!
Select an Age Group:
Ages 3 to 5
/ Ages 6 to 8
/ Ages 9 to 10
/ Ages 11 to 12
Ages 3 to 5
This is the best age to curl up
with your child for story time, play pretend reading games, and
practice reading and writing skills. It is very important at
this age to get your child to love books.
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You can play phonics or word
recognition games.
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Label objects at home with
colorful name tags.
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Help your child guess the
letter that everyday words start with for example: Car, Dog,
Cat, Juice etc..
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Make up silly rhymes.
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Create a simple list for jobs
or chores and have your child cross things off as completed.
For example: Bath, Lunch, Dinner, Bank etc...
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Create a special reading area
with comfy seating, and a bookcase full of great reading.
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Research shows that repeated readings
lead to improved comprehension.
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Create activities around
stories. For instance read Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham
and then put on your chef's hats and actually make green eggs
and ham.
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Select their favorite holiday
and take them to a book store or library to select a good
holiday book. Create a seasonal snack and then read the
book and have your snack.
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Have them dress in a costume
that reflects the story that you are reading for Halloween.
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Create a craft that will
coincide with a story. For instance, read a Thanksgiving
book and have them make a turkey that can be displayed on the
table on Thanksgiving Day.
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Have a teddy bear picnic.
Invite a few friends to come and bring their favorite teddy
bear. Create your favorite "bear" munchies. Read a few
popular bear stories like the Berenstain Bears or Corduroy
books.
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Have a Pet picnic by reading
dog stories like Clifford or McDuff. Again have a "dog"
snack and invite a few friends with their favorite stuffed dog
or cat.
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Ages 6 to 8
This is when your children begin
to read on their own. It is a very exciting time for them. As
a parent you must celebrate their accomplishments. For example
when they read their first book alone give them a special treat.
Let them know that it is just a important as hitting a homerun or
performing in a dance recital.
It is necessary at this age to
keep reading exciting and part of your everyday routine.
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You can listen to audio books
in the car and have your child follow along in their book.
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Have the big brother or
sister read to their younger siblings.
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Point out words on signs as
you go about your daily routine.
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Have your child create a menu
for lunch or dinner.
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Let your child create your
grocery store list.
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Your child can be the keeper
of the family calendar. They can add necessary
appointments and check it each morning to let everyone know what
their obligations are for the day.
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Select books that appeal to
your child's interest. For example, if they love kites,
select a book on how to make your own kite, do the activity and
then take it to the beach or park and fly it. Do they
enjoy cooking? Select a book with cooking recipes or edible art
and make the food on a rainy day.
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Let your child write their
own stories. Pick a theme for instance "what I did on
summer vacation". Have them dictate a story to you and
type it into the computer. Print when completed. Be
sure to leave room so that they draw pictures on each page.
Staple it together to create a pamphlet. Add the book to
their library and be sure to read their books just like you
would read any other.
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Read some comic books with
them. Great selections include: Garfield books,
Archie, Disney or Superhero comics.
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Ages 9 to 10
You will find that kids at this
age devour series books and fiction books. However, it is a
time when outside activities such as organized sports and lessons
begin to fill their schedules. Make sure there is still time
for reading. It is important that they read for fun not just
for school.
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Make reading a family event.
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Join a mother/daughter book
club.
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Have dad/son read the sports
section in the newspaper together.
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Take the kids to the book
store and lunch.
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Pick a type of book, for
example biography, and have everyone in the family go to the
library and select a book. At the dinner table share a few
interesting facts about what you have read.
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This is a very social age so
if you can melt together friends and books that would be a great
idea. Have the kids start a Harry Potter Club. They
can have meetings where they dress like wizards, practice magic
tricks, talk about the book and eat jelly beans. Another,
popular series for girls is the American Girl books. You
can have them get together for tea. They can bring their
dolls, do a craft and talk about the book.
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Kids love to do plays so why
not have a play-reading party. Look for a short, easy to
read play. A great site to check is
www.script-o-rama.com. Make copies for
everyone, select parts and let the fun begin. You may even
want to video tape it and show it when parents arrive to pick up
the kids.
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Have a joke or song party.
Everyone brings their favorite joke or song and then reads the
joke or sings the song. Give prizes for the best
performance, best joke etc..
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Ages 11 to 12
This is the time when kids
begin to move on to adult authors and pull away from children's
books. It is important to keep the interest in books alive so
encourage them to make this jump.
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At this age the athletic
child is very busy and seems to have little time to read.
So try sports magazines, such as Sports Illustrated for Kids,
the stories may be short enough to fit into their schedule and
appealing enough to keep their interest. Also, consider
a subscription to any other hobby or interest you child may
have.
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Try to plan some family
outings around book related topics. For example, if your
child has read the biography of Ben Franklin try and take them
to Philadelphia, Pa to visit his print shop and museum. In
Concord, Massachusetts, children can walk through where Louise
May Alcott wrote Little Women. Any trip can lead to great book
tie-ins just do a little research before you go.
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