Getting in the Game

Be the Best Coach 

You Can Be!

Every minute you spend reading and

talking with your child pays off. But dads

can use some simple skills to help their

kids be even better readers—like

knowing what kinds of questions to ask

when you’re reading a story together.

The booklets listed below break

down the “secrets” of being a great

literacy coach with your kids. All of them

can be ordered for free by calling 1-800-

228-8813, or by visiting www.nifl.gov.

A Child Becomes a Reader—

Proven Ideas for Parents 

from Research

Birth through Preschool

A Child Becomes a Reader—

Proven Ideas for Parents 

from Research

Kindergarten through Grade Three

Put Reading First

Helping Your Child Learn to Read—

A Parent Guide

La Lectura es lo Primero

Helping Your Child 

Become a Reader

Reading: Easy as ABC, right?

Most kids learn to talk by talking with other people. They

hear—they listen—they speak. Learning to read? That’s harder.

Reading doesn’t come naturally. You have to learn it. The

sticks and circles we call letters are symbols. Basically, letters

stand for sounds. In the big picture, they help us communicate

when we can’t talk face to face. If we couldn’t read, we’d

never know the wisdom of

William Shakespeare, Langston

Hughes, or Yogi Berra.

Our alphabet has only 26

letters, but it’s one of the most

powerful tool kits on the planet.

When you put letters together,

into syllables, words,

sentences, and paragraphs, 

you get the script for Star Wars,

a Martin Luther King speech,

The Grapes of Wrath, a letter, or instructions for how to build 

a tricycle.

Reading lets us into the whole world. It gets us in the

game. Reading is power. And, let’s face it, good readers make

more money.

Teaching someone to read is complex. But while teachers

are doing their thing in the classroom, parents can do things

to make time with their children pay off in big ways.

Reading with your child every day certainly helps,

whether it’s a book, a street sign, or a cereal box. But

researchers have found that parents can help even more by

building five skills that kids need to become readers. 

COACHING KIDS TO READ

How do dads help their kids

learn to read? See inside for

the stories of 20 fathers.

20 Dads

What are these five skills? See pages 4 & 5.

Getting in the Game

READING 

DOESN’T COME

NATURALLY. 

YOU HAVE TO

LEARN IT. 

Educators have discovered that if a child can’t read fluently

by the end of third grade, he may not become a strong reader.

And the road ahead will be much more difficult.

“In fourth grade, students start using their reading 

skills as a tool for learning other things,” said Dr. Sandra

Baxter, director of the National Institute for Literacy. “They

have to read well because the subjects get harder. Teachers 

have less time to help kids catch up on reading skills they

don’t have.”

That’s why parents need to stay in constant touch 

with their children’s day care providers and teachers from

kindergarten through grade three. It’s important to make sure

that children’s reading skills are developing “on schedule.”

In fact, research has shown that children who aren’t

strong readers by the end of third

grade are more likely to drop out of

school later on. “We should all

pay attention to that,” said Dr.

Baxter. “Fortunately, the

research has also shown us

the best ways to teach

reading, and how

parents can make a

big difference in

helping their children

learn to read.”

THIRD GRADE:

Why is it so important?

Playbook Dad’s

Visit the Institute at www.nifl.gov
The National Institute for Literacy and RMC Research Corporation express

their thanks to the fathers who agreed to be interviewed. We admire the fine

work they are doing with their children.

Matt

Licensed electrician

Father of one, 2 years old

I have my daughter on weekends and we read

every night while she is with me, mostly before

she goes to bed. Isabel likes certain books and

wants me to read them to her over and over

again. We got a fish book when we visited the

aquarium. It is an alphabet book and she likes it too. We read small children’s

books with colorful pictures.

My daughter walked and started saying her first words early. I think she has a

big vocabulary for her age and that’s probably

because we read and talk to her a lot. I even

read to her before she was born! I think her

mother is more into the acting, maybe more

animated when she reads. I do some vocal

changes, but I’m more straightforward with my

reading. Isabel likes to flip the pages.

I like to see her reactions, the way she picks up on things, like naming the

animals in the pictures. We have fun with books and she makes up funny words.

She likes to turn the pages and now she knows that you read a book from front to

back. I sometimes run my finger under the words as I read so she will see how print

goes from left to right.

She is only two, so she is not reading yet, but if she hears a word she doesn’t

know, she always asks what it means. I talk to her and name words and tell her what

they mean. We play with words and she repeats everything I say. She learns fast. I

want her to enjoy reading and to do it of her own free will beyond schoolwork. She

sees me write in the notebook that her mother and I use to share information. She

knows that we are communicating with each other through writing.

Jorge

Cable TV technician

Father of three, 2 years, 3 years, 5 years old

I have three children and I read to them in English

so they can learn more. At the same time I read to

them, I also am learning better English myself. My

father is illiterate and I taught myself how to read.

I want my children to know how to read for

themselves. I read the newspaper in English, and for my work, it’s all in English.

I’m a cable TV manager technician and I teach others how to fix cable TV.

I buy books for my children at a bookstore in Tijuana. If there’s a book sale, I’ll

buy books at a store. I have been coming to the library (family literacy program) for

three months. I pay attention to my children. It’s

most important to know who they are and what

they like and don’t like.

We practice writing out letters and I teach

them the sounds of the letters. I’ll sound out the

letter and have them practice writing it out, while

sounding it out themselves.

To get their interest, I sing songs with them first, like the ABC song and other

word songs and songs in Spanish to motivate them to read. I sing it wrong and they

correct me. I go into detail and explanation of letters and sounds to my children. I

also do homework and math games with them. They ask me questions and I help

them. If I don’t understand a word myself, I’ll look it up in the dictionary.

Taape

Warehouse worker

Father of one, 2 years old

This is my first child, so I want to do it right. I hope to

have more children. Every kid will have something for

me to learn.

I want my son to grow up and be able to read.

Then he can decide what his goals are for himself. As

long as he can read, he can learn more about it later. For me, the first time I was in the U.S.

I was put into second grade. I didn’t understand anything and they dropped me down to first

to learn how to read.

My wife is more into books than me and she’s stricter. He has to pay attention when

she uses books with him. The only way my son listens to me is if

I’m singing or dancing. His favorite book plays the chorus of Old

MacDonald—“E-I-E-I-O!” is his favorite part, he loves that. If I

start singing that to him, he starts dancing. My wife uses his ABC

blocks. She says a letter in his name and he has to point to it.

He repeats it back, but he doesn’t know his letters yet. She will

write out his name and give it to him. He just scribbles on it. My

wife and I play Scrabble and he’ll watch.

On the way here today, we made a quick stop at the store and I sang to my son while he

danced in the shopping cart. Every time I sing a song in the store, he’ll dance. We sing in

both Samoan and English. We speak both in the house. TV helped me a lot to learn English

and I like to use TV with my son. Right now, he’ll grab a book if he really wants us to read

it. I know my son is enjoying hearing me read when he’s smiling and laughing. If you stop,

he wants you to keep doing it over and over and over and over. 

Brian

Chemical operator

Father of two, 5 years, 12 years old

I want my son and daughter to be able to read and

understand what they’re reading instead of just going

through and then later on ask questions. I want them to

understand that in this day and age if you don’t read and

learn a lot of things, someone can be like a wolf in

sheep’s clothing. If you don’t read the fine print and understand what’s going on, then

you’re basically putting yourself in a hole.

I like reading to them and seeing how they are bent on your every last word, waiting to

see what the outcome is. I like seeing their reactions. I love sitting down on Sundays.

There’s just something about Sundays. It’s my time to sit around with the family.

I want them to be very articulate. There’s a lot of different words in the dictionary that

many people don’t really know. It’s about being able to comprehend—being able to see a

word and if you don’t understand it go in the dictionary and figure it out. I try to tell them

the importance of speaking clearly and

understanding how people perceive you when you

speak. A lot of that has to do with reading. You

can’t extend your vocabulary if you don’t read.

My daughter is in kindergarten so she brings

songs home from the school. She starts humming and singing and we’re like, “what’s that

song?” She might not be saying a lot of the words right so it brings us back to our

childhood. We sit there arguing about what the words were.

My daughter has a diary. She’ll come home and she’ll ask for her diary and she’ll be

jotting little letters down and she’ll say, “Daddy, read my diary.” And I’m looking at it and

it doesn’t spell anything but I try to make her think I know what it says and try to keep her

motivated. And my son, he’s 12, he’ll say, “That doesn’t spell anything.” But then I’ll ask

her to tell us what it says. And she’ll say, “I can’t tell you.” But she’ll whisper in my ear.

So it just helps her out just to jot things down. 

How they help their kids learn to read!

Thanks!

“We practice writing out

letters and I teach them

the sounds of the letters.”

“She likes to turn the pages and

now she knows that you read a

book from front to back.” 

“She will write out

his name and give

it to him. He just

scribbles on it.“

10 Dads. 

Yes, guys read. And they can give their kids the best shot at a bright future by helping

them learn to read too. Here are stories of dads from around the country, talking in their

own words about how they do it. Many of these dads discovered they were already

doing a lot of the right things, and doing it in personal, special ways. For more stories 

of fathers helping their kids learn to read, turn to page 6.

“You can’t extend your

vocabulary if you don’t read.”

2
Alejandro

Construction worker; business owner

Father of three, 2 years, 3 years, and 7 years old 

My older son likes me to read about soccer and my younger

son likes books with dogs and other animals. I sometimes

read a couple books at one time, one about soccer and one

about animals—I read from one for a little while and

explain about the animals

and then I read from the other and explain the soccer. I set

aside special time every day to be with my daughter to either

help her with homework or read with her.

Their mother is very focused when she reads to them.

She looks at pictures with the kids and explains all the

details. I may explain a few details, but not like she does.

My daughter reads like she has learned in school. She reads

the whole book first, by herself. Then if she needs help

understanding something or would like to talk about

something we go back through page by page. She will read

to me too.

When the boys don’t understand a word, I will show them the object or a picture, and I

will continue to ask them about it until they know what it is. I teach my kids words more in

Spanish because it is easier for me. We have some books from Mexico that I use to help

them learn the letters and Spanish words.

I have taught my children the names of the tools I use. I play music and have a band

that practices in my house. The boys like to play the instruments and I try and teach them

the lyrics to the songs.

I really enjoy the moment of being with my kids and helping them learn. We don’t

have that much time with our kids when they are young, so I just enjoy this time with

them as much as I can.

Mark

Antique car restorer

Father of three, 6 months, 3 years, 5 years old

When I read to my children I try to make it theatrical. I

try to put something into it to make it more enjoyable. I

would call it trying to get them to imagine that they’re

actually there. I work on their imagination. You can see

excitement in their faces.

We generally try to read at least one book

apiece for each one of the girls. So they each end

up getting two books read to them in one night.

We haven’t actually sat down and read to the baby

yet. But he’s in the room.

I know that for myself, reading to the girls has helped me read better. I was never one

for reading. I didn’t really like to read a lot. In the automotive business we’re in, we do

research. You have to be able to read the manual. If you’re trying to diagnose a problem,

or anything, a wiring diagram, you have to read. That’s all the ability you really need to

know well to learn how to do anything. You can be able to wire a light fixture, or put in a

furnace or whatever—build a house, build a boat.

My kindergartner is wanting longer books now. It’s okay to read that five-page book

you can get done in two minutes but she’d rather sit for half an hour and listen to an

entire story. Then she’ll say “well, I’m going to read this book.” She’ll just sit there,

looking at the pictures more than reading the book but she’ll study it page after page. I’ve

seen her a couple of times in the morning asleep with a book lying across her chest. 

Jesse

Press operator, molding factory

Father of one, 11 months old

I know reading to her now will help her learn down the

road. But right now it’s fun to entertain her, to see the

way she looks when she’s happy. It’s all about her. She

just lights up, she’s giggling, she’s enjoying it. It makes

me feel good. It’s hard

to entertain babies sometimes—sometimes nothing will

work—but books usually work pretty easy with her.

I perform when I read. I do whatever I have to do. I

change my voice with the character. Whichever way the

character is, I try to role-play it. She loves this one book

that has a girl and sea animals in it. So I play the crab,

the lobster. I’m not that good at doing a girl’s voice, but I do my best.

We get books from anywhere. At WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) they give us

books. I have some books from when I was a kid. We go to the bookstore in the mall, and let

her pick out a book. She’s drawn to bright colors, and books you can touch or books that

make sounds. She likes to push things, so I see if she can comprehend the buttons on the

remote.

I hope reading is as important to her as it was to me. The more she reads as a kid—

starting off small, going into longer books, and more complex words—the easier it’s going to

be in the higher grades. It’s great to see her begin to learn. There’s nothing better than to be

able to pass it on to my child. I’m not going to force her, or punish her, like “you have to

read this,” but we’ll have a certain time of day, and we’ll make reading a regular part of her

schedule. 

Fred

Press operator,

Youth Detention Center leader

Father of four, 4 years, 9 years, 10 years, 15 years old

On the days Juicy doesn’t go to day care I try to spend the

day with him. When the rest of the kids get home at 3

o’clock from school, I make sure they do their homework

or I make sure they read. We have a quiet time from 4 to

5. It’s just strictly reading. No TV. We have plenty of books, so I’m like, “pick a book out.”

I want my children to know that reading is positive. The way to learn is to read.

After they read I’m almost like a teacher—I want them to write out what they read to

make sure they’re getting it. Instead of just reading it and saying, “okay, this is what just

happened,” I want them to put it on paper

too. I want to make sure they really

understand what they just read. I didn’t

have it that way. I wish I would have.

They are learning faster than I did.

Especially if they’re interested in something, it has their full attention. My parents took time

with us, but not like they should, because they didn’t know.

I teach them they have the potential to do anything. I take it like a cuss word when

they say, “I can’t do something.” I always explain to them, “Don’t be afraid to make

mistakes. It’s fine. That’s how you learn.” Especially with Juicy—we just went over the

ABCs. He wasn’t sure. I said, “Be sure...even if you’re wrong. I’m going to tell you if

you’re wrong or right.”

Ernest

Construction worker

Father of two, 6 years, 8 years old

Reading was very, very scary for me at school. I

remember when I thought I had to read, my hands

would be so sweaty that the sweat would drop on the

desk. They had me checked out and said I had a

reading disorder. I got better in high school. I had a

tutor in 10th grade who is still in my life if I

need tutoring or help. It’s very important to

help my kids now.

My oldest daughter was struggling. I’m the

one who can talk to her about that situation

and can relate. If she doesn’t know a word I

break it down bit by bit and pronounce it in

syllables so she has an idea of how to put it

together. That’s how I learned. When I first noticed she was having problems with her

reading it didn’t really affect her. She’s unique because she was still wanting to learn even if

she got frustrated. She loves to go to school. She’s a fighter and doesn’t give up.

I tell my children it is important to be able to read because, suppose you’re traveling and

can’t read the road signs—you wouldn’t know how or where to get off the highway.

I would really like to do a lot of traveling but sometimes I’m afraid because what if I

couldn’t read the signs. I could get lost. That’s why I tell my children it’s important to read

and I try to read to them whenever I can.

I go over spelling words with them. They know how to write our name and address. I

also help them with writing homework. When she brought homework with math problems she

had to write out in words, we used the names of some of her friends in the class to write out the

problems.

My wife and I take time for our kids to help them study, to help them learn—and that

we are behind them 110%. I want them to have what I never had. I am successful, but it

was a struggle for me and I feel that if I’m behind them, as their father, it won’t be so hard

for them. I know I have smart kids. I want the best for them.

Mike

Construction worker

Father of one, 9 months old

I work every day so I’m only able to play with my

daughter from four to seven or eight. I like to spend

those hours with her. We usually keep the TV off. I read

to her every day. I think she likes that we’re on the floor

when I read, though

sometimes I walk around and dance while I read, with her in

my arms. I think she’s having fun. I think she’s going to

want us to read to her all the time. When I read, I act it out,

I use different voices. I’m shy, but not with my kid. I don’t

mind looking like an idiot as long as she’s laughing.

We were given a lot of books at the baby shower. The person who threw the shower for

us asked people to start a library for Hailey. We get books by mail, I don’t know where

they’re from. And we’re right next door to the library and they have a lot of sales. You can

fill a box for a dollar.

I ask Hailey all the time, “who’s your dada?” and point to myself. I echo her sounds.

And she copies me. She sort of screeches. If she does one, I might do two or three back, and

she copies me. Sometimes when we say “no” she stops, but then does whatever it was again.

We say “no” and she stops, then does it again. It’s almost like she’s doing it to get us to talk

to her. 

“We have a quiet time from 4 to 5. It’s

just strictly reading. No TV.” 

“My kindergartner is

wanting longer books now.” 

“If she doesn’t know a word 

I break it down bit by bit 

and pronounce it in syllables 

so she has an idea of how to put it

together. “

“I perform when I read. I

do whatever I have to do.

I change my voice with

the character.” 

“When the boys don’t

understand a word, 

I will show them 

the object or a picture,

and I will continue 

to ask them about it

until they know 

what it is.”

“I echo her sounds.

And she copies me. “

3
1-2-3-4-5

The leap from talking to reading

happens when a child starts to see how

written letters stand for the sounds of

speech. It’s like learning a code.

Take the word “rocket.” The sounds you hear

when you say “rocket” are represented by

letters, or letter pairs: r, o, ck, e, and t. 

As young readers

get better, they

recognize words as

soon as they see

them. After all,

you don’t want to

have to figure out

the words “the,”

“and,” and “from”

every time you read

them. 

Another great bonus of

knowing the rules of how

written letters sound? When

a reader sees words he doesn’t

know, he can use his knowledge

of letters and sounds to figure

them out. Learning the rules of letter

sounds takes

lots and lots

of practice.

You would think

it would be easy,

since there are only 26 letters! But

sometimes “e” makes an “eee” sound,

sometimes it makes an “eh” sound, and

sometimes no sound at all! And there are

exceptions to the rules too. Who would figure

that “igh” makes a sound like “eye,” like in

“high” and “sigh?” Young readers will spend a

lot of time learning these rules and variations.

IT’S CALLED PHONICS

Teachers call this knowledge of how letters

represent sounds “phonics.” Children can start

learning about phonics when they are about

four years old. That’s when they start to pay

more attention to letters and words in books.

They will learn a lot about phonics up through

first grade. In second grade, they should know

most of the phonics rules.

HOW CAN A DAD HELP?

Words are everywhere. Think of every word

as a chance to help your child become a better

reader. Look for words on signs, maps,

billboards, cereal boxes, money, and birthday

cards. Point out words to your child wherever

you see them. Say them out loud. Take time

to sound them out and show how the letters

and combinations of letters make sounds. For

example, standing at a street corner, watch for

the sign to turn from “WALK” to “DON’T

WALK,” and see who can shout the word

“DON’T” first!

Before your child ever sees a word on the

page, he or she will hear thousands and

thousands of words—spoken words. 

Every spoken word is a series of sounds.

Say the word “football.” Now say it again, slowly.

Take it apart. Stress each little sound,

from the “f” sound at the beginning

to the “l” sound at the end.

“Football” has six sounds in it. 

A child who can tell these

sounds apart is on the way to

becoming a reader.

Children need to hear how sounds in words go

together. “Hat,” “bat,” “fat,” “cat,” and “rat” are

almost the same word—but most people don’t wear

cats on their heads on cold days. Only the beginning

sounds in these words are different. But that one letter

makes a huge difference. 

When you help a child hear and play with sounds

in words, you’re getting him ready to read, to see those

differences between words when they’re written down.

IT’S CALLED PHONEMIC 

AWARENESS

Teachers call knowing how language

sounds “phonemic awareness.” You

can start working on phonemic

awareness when your child is a

baby. Even saying silly words like

“coochie coo” begins to make

language sounds more familiar.

Children should have a good sense

of phonemic awareness by the time

they start preschool.

HOW CAN A DAD HELP?

Play games with words. If you see a

boat, say to your child, “hey, look at

that coat in the water!” She will

know it’s a boat, and probably tell

you so! At dinner, ask your son to

pass you his fish...he’ll correct you

right away that you meant his dish,

not his fish. 

1Spoken Words

Written Words

1-2-3-4-5

HINT

Play with sounds

in all parts of

words (beginning,

middle, and end):

like “job,” “joy,”

and “jog,” where

the difference is at

the end of the

words. Rhyming is

also important.

Listen for rhyming

words in songs,

rap, and poems.

Play a game: who

can come up with

three words that

rhyme with “cool”

the fastest?

Teachers call this knowledge of how letters

represent sounds “phonics.” 

2

Teachers call knowing how language sounds “phonemic awareness.”

FIVE SKILLS

CHILDREN NEED

TO BE READERS

BY 3RD GRADE

4

rocket

rocket
Remember when you first tried driving a stick

shift? How the car stalled? The jerky motion you

thought would tear the engine apart? That’s what early

reading is like. You might have heard your son or daughter

trying to read a page, getting stuck on words. That’s normal for

young readers but, like driving, the goal is to move ahead smoothly

and easily. 

Like learning how to drive or swing a bat, learning how to read takes

practice. The more you read, the better you get at it. It’s that simple. Along

the way, young readers need coaches (like you) to get them through the

rough spots, and to cheer them on when they get it right.

IT’S CALLED FLUENCY

Teachers call the ability to read accurately and quickly “fluency.” Fluent

readers recognize lots of words on sight, without having to sound them out.

Eventually, they get so fluent they can look at groups of words and get their

meaning right away. Fluent readers sound natural when they read out loud.

And they can focus on the meaning of what they are reading, rather than

trying to decode word by word.

HOW CAN A DAD HELP?

This one’s easy: the way to fluency is to listen to your child read the same

pages repeatedly until your child smoothes out all the “bumps in the road.”

Reading those favorite books over and over again—as you’ve been doing

all along—has been moving your child down the road. Sometimes, you can

take turns reading sentences in a book.

We read for a reason. To get swept away by a great story. Or

find out what happened in last night’s game. Or figure out how

to put together a bicycle. (Good luck!) There is no point to

reading if it doesn’t help us understand something.

That’s why we spend so much time helping kids learn how to read.

Eventually, they will read for a purpose. If your daughter can read the

words on a page, but doesn’t understand what the words mean,

she’s not really reading. Reading uses

a reader’s own experience and

knowledge of the world, and of words,

to make sense of what she reads.

Research over 30 years has found

ways parents can help their children

become better at understanding, remembering, 

and communicating what they read.

IT’S CALLED COMPREHENSION

Teachers call the ability to understand what you read

“comprehension.” Does your child understand the

details, the meaning, and the ideas behind what she is reading?

HOW CAN A DAD HELP?

Ask questions. It’s a great way to know whether your young reader

really understands what he reads. And it stimulates his brain to think

and ask questions himself. When you’re reading a story with your child,

stop and ask questions once in awhile: why did that character do that?

What do you think would happen next? What would you do in that

situation? Don’t just ask questions about books—do it about everything

you see and do with your child—from what’s for dinner to what the

coach should do on the next play. 

If your child lives to the ripe old age of 100, she

could learn more than 20 new words a day and

never know them all. Of course, no human

being knows every single word of English. But

the more words a person knows, the better he

can read and speak.

Learning new words starts early—the names of colors,

animals, relatives, and things around the house. A child

might pick up some words you use at work, just by hearing

you talk. She will certainly learn a lot of new words from

watching television, listening to music, and going to

school. She will learn most words by hearing and saying

them.

Knowing lots of words comes in handy when a child

starts to read. Children use the words they already know to

make sense of words they see written down. Suppose

your child sees the word “courage” in a book. As he

sounds it out, it might dawn on him that the sounds are

making a word he already knows. Knowing the word

ahead of time helps him read it faster.

IT’S CALLED VOCABULARY

Teachers call the knowledge of words,

and what they mean, “vocabulary.” You

can start building a child’s vocabulary

from day one, when you say your daughter’s name or point

to a giraffe in a book (and say “giraffe” out loud). A child

needs to know about 1,900 basic words to communicate.

Most first graders know about 10,000 words.

HOW CAN A DAD HELP?

Building vocabulary is like building a strong foundation,

brick by brick. See a helicopter flying overhead? Having

spaghetti squash for dinner for the first time? Going to

Cincinnati to visit your brother? Point all of these new

words out to your child. Try adding three new words every

day (when you go for walks, read the newspaper together,

or watch a movie). The world is full of new things to learn

and explore.

You, dad, are the best tour guide out there!

3

4

QUIZ

How many words are

there in the English

language?

A thousand? A million?

Somewhere in between—

about 850,000 at last count,

and growing every day. 

Word Power

Reading 

Smoothly

& Easily 

Teachers call the ability to read

accurately and quickly “fluency.” 

Teachers call the ability to understand

what you read “comprehension.”

Teachers call the knowledge of words, and what they mean, “vocabulary.” 

5Knowing 

What It All

Means

5
How they help their kids learn to read!

10 More Dads. 

Darien

Carpenter and interior decorator

Father of five, 9 months, 3 years, 6 years, 

7 years, 8 years old

I tell my kids that being bored is nothing but a state

of mental bankruptcy. You can always find

something to do. If you’re bored, pick up a book.

Bring me a book and I’ll read it to you. I want my

kids to understand that you need to read for knowledge. It gives you more than you

can obtain just from ordinary everyday life. That’s why I started my own library.

I didn’t really like to read until I got about 19 or

20 years old. They love to read. They will pick up a

book any time and bring it to me and want to read it.

My older two are really good readers.

When they first started reading they didn’t

understand how to express the feeling in the words. I

tell them, “Feel what you read, don’t just read just to be

reading. Feel it so you know exactly what he’s saying, how he’s saying and why. Try to

figure out how the writers try to make you understand what they’re writing.” And I

show them, this kind of writer writes this way. Another writes this way.

My older two kids like to rap so they rhyme everyday. They like to rhyme. I help

them sometimes. I might say, “That’s not a rhyme. Think of this word. But you got to

add meaning to it, too... so that it makes sense.”

I like knowing that me reading to them is making them happy. I love to see their

faces and their excitement. They enjoy it. I do too. You know, just that half hour to

hour that we spend reading books is just a happy time.

Cecil

Retired grocery store manager

Father of three, 9 years, 13 years, 15 years old

I like the fact that I am actually doing something with

them that is very positive and rewarding for their

future. I get books from the library, the school library,

and sometimes we pick up books in the stores.

Sometimes we receive books as presents. 

I especially love poems and I would really like to get some West Indian poetry. It would

be good to share with my kids.

When I’m doing something, like

cooking, I follow the instructions exactly. I

suppose I haven’t thought about some of the

things as modeling, but I see my children

checking the receipts, as I do.

My daughter is very detailed; she likes to read every single thing. She doesn’t want

to miss anything. She’s like me; I follow all the directions exactly. All my children read

differently. I have one son that reads all the instructions before he starts something; like

yesterday he was trying to learn how to clean the VCR heads. My other son tries things

out before he reads the instructions.

When I was growing up I remember I had struggles with reading. It was my

biggest hurdle. When I got past it everything came easier. I wish that more dads would

read with their children and build their child as a strong reader. 

Richard

Aluminum siding installer

Father of one, 4 years old

She asks almost every night to read. She likes to sit

down with books every night and read herself a story.

She likes reading as much as she likes playing with

her baby dolls. She’s gets excited about it. If you sit

there and read something to her, her attention stays.

She doesn’t get up and run off or decide it’s time to watch TV. She’s just getting to

learn the words now. I try to show her some of the

easier words so she can try to pick them up. It’s not

too hard for her to pick up new things. We had to

watch things we said even when she was a little over

two.

I know from a couple of our family members that

their kids act like reading is more of a chore rather

than something they want to do. When she does it she

thinks of it as fun. When she was three she spoke more

clearly and had a better vocabulary than a lot of the

five year olds she was with.

All you have to do is explain something to her and she picks it up. She’s got three

or four children’s CDs with music. She’s got all kinds of flashcards—little songs my

wife learns with her at school. She went to preschool in the summer and learned

songs. My wife does the songs with her. She also plays with a lot of puzzles. I help her

learn words just by talking to her, explaining things to her, letting her be around. If I

say something, she’ll ask what’s that and I’ll just explain it to her. Or if she asks me

what something is, and I’ll tell her and she remembers it from there. She knows a lot

of the easy words like cat or dog the ones that are easy to teach her but when it comes

to the longer words it’s harder to get her to realize them. We just started working on

some of them for her to start reading.

Stephen

Stay at home parent

Father of two, 4 years, 6 years old

My son is learning his letters and numbers, so I ask him

to sign and date all of his artwork. My daughter writes at

school and she likes to write down things for me at

home. She calls it dictation when I have her write a note

to help me remember something or write a list for the

grocery store. My daughter is beginning to learn to read and my son benefits from watching

her. He is anxious to be able to read on his own.

I have been reading to my children since they were born so they are very

attentive when we read together. I enjoy the

closeness with them. They participate in the

story and it is a good way to be with my kids.

I guess it’s not as much fun when I’m tired,

but I never think of it as a chore because they

enjoy it so much. I wish I had been

encouraged to read more when I was a child. It is so superior to television. We moved

our TV to the basement.

I talk about stories and show them I’m really into reading. They see me read. I

think my son is the same kind of reader I am: he will stay up later at night to look at

books and pretend to read. They have lots of books in their rooms and they sit in

their rooms and read early in the morning, even before my wife and I are awake. I

volunteer at their school and take a small group of children aside to read with them. 

I just want them to love to read and to know that it is a way to explore the world

around them. They like to know and ask a lot of questions about words. I explain

the meaning and sharpen their understanding. They are good talkers so we like to

talk together.

“I especially love poems and I

would really like to get some

West Indian poetry. “

“I talk about stories and show

them I’m really into reading.

They see me read.”

“Feel what you read, 

don’t just read 

just to be reading.” 

“When she was three

she spoke more clearly

and had a better

vocabulary than a lot

of the five year olds

she was with.” 

The National Institute for Literacy and RMC Research Corporation express

their thanks to the fathers who agreed to be interviewed. We admire the fine

work they are doing with their children.

Thanks!

Yes, guys read. And they can give their kids the best shot at a bright future by helping them learn to

read too. Here are stories of dads from around the country, talking in their own words about how

they do it. Many of these dads discovered they were already doing a lot of the right things, and

doing it in personal, special ways. 

6
Christopher

High school senior

Father of one, 5 months old

I read to my baby at night before she goes to sleep. If she’s

fussy or not feeling well we read to settle her. I like to read

to her. When I lay her down she looks at my mouth and

she tries to make the same shapes as my mouth, she just

looks as if she is

trying hard to do what I do. She likes listening to

my voice.

She is only a baby, but she likes looking at

books. She has just found her hands and she likes

to touch books and she enjoys books that have

textures. She reaches out and touches the

different textures and I tell her the words. I show

her what I’m reading and when we do anything I

am always talking to her and telling her words. Like if we are eating, I give her the spoon or

the napkin and I tell her the words. I try to tell her everything.

When I was young I was real nervous reading and did not like to read aloud in class,

particularly when it was a word that I did not know. I want her to know that if she comes to

a big word that she does not know that she is not to give up but be confident.

Reading is a whole other level of bonding. I want her to know that dad can help her as

much as her mom and when she goes to school. I want her to know that she can come to

me for help and that I will always be there to help her at any time. I remember my mom

reading to me. I always had to ask my dad to read to me, but I want my daughter to know

that I will read to her without her asking me to do so.

Celestino

Nursery worker

Father of two, 5 years, 8 years old

We get books from the school library, the community

library, and from book stores. My boss also gives me

his children’s old books. I usually read to my

children two or three times a week. Usually at night

before they go to bed. I enjoy reading together.

There is nothing I don’t enjoy about it.

My daughter loves books, story

books. She gets so happy to hear the

stories. She feels like she is part of the

story. We have read the same books over

and over again and she does not get tired

of them. She reads like me. I stop a lot

to explain things about the story to her and why things happen. Now that is the way

she reads too.

My wife does not read English, but she will tell our children stories or will read

books to them in Spanish. Most of the books we get are in English and I read those

books to them. I try to get books in English to help them learn English better.

When we work in the garden, I have taught them the names of all the plants.

They know corn, beans, and squash. And they know tomatoes because they don’t like

tomatoes. I help my son write phrases and practice his letters. I have gotten books for

him that teach how to write letters and words, and we practice together.

Sergio

Automotive technician

Father of three, 3 years, 4 years, 9 years old

I taught myself how to read because my father is

illiterate. I want a different outcome for my children.

I read every day at night with the children. I

love to read and use it for myself. I think it’s

important for my children to learn more new words

and to speak and read better. It’s always fun to read with my children. I like to see how

happy they get when I read something to them. My nine-year-old reads before bed and

more and more I have to take the book away from her so she’ll go to sleep. The younger

ones still don’t read on their own. But, they all love it and Sundays, if I don’t want to

read to them, they protest.

My children bring books home from school and we subscribe to a Book Club and

get a new book every month. I want them to make a habit of reading to learn more,

speak better, and become more involved in the community.

With my nine-year-old, I’ll use her homework to learn new words. With the

younger ones, we do ABCs and vowels at home. And we play Mexican bingo with letters,

or the Concentration game to find the pairs. If they don’t understand a word I’ll give

them examples with the word in it. If I’m out with them, I’ll answer any questions.

I openly communicate with them. My children are confident of themselves. They

are able to speak to others.

I think parents should have an interest in what their children are reading and also

to read for themselves to see how it does make a difference in their life.

This interview was translated from Spanish. 

Theodore

Water delivery person

Father of two, 4 months, 2 years old

I don’t really read outside of reading to my kids. I may

read the newspaper every once in awhile, look at the

sports section. I read to my children once a week, mostly

at night, bedtime. I heard it makes them smarter.

I’m not a really good reader, but my wife is. She’s

more up on reading, reads more often. She reads to the kids maybe three or four times a

week. Luke likes to watch us read. He’ll open a book and mumble stuff and act like he’s

reading. Sometimes he’ll stay on a page for a

long time. He likes funny books and rhyming

ones. Mainly when he sees a book, he says,

“read, read, read, book, book, book,” and he

sits on our laps. Our four month old is

around when we do this and watches. Maybe

he will want to read later.

My parents only read the Bible, nothing

else. While you need to do that, you need to do more. You read to achieve. You get smarter

when you read and your life gets easier. I didn’t like reading in school. I was scared to

read. I’d get all silent and embarrassed and feel stupid because I would stumble and not

know how to say a word. If you teach your kids more words and read more, they’ll do

better. I want to give my kids something I didn’t have when I was younger. I don’t know

why they didn’t read much to me. Maybe it’s because they didn’t have time. But I was so

embarrassed in high school when I would stumble and didn’t know words. This is

important.

Mark

Independent truck driver

Father of two, 9 months, 4 years old

When Mark goes to bed he wants me to read a story to

him. I don’t mind reading. We get a lot of books from the

library. Sometimes if we go to the grocery store and he

sees something he likes I usually buy it for him.

He’s not reading

yet. They’re working on it in preschool. He seems a little

smarter than me. He can probably operate the computer

better than I can. I know reading helps if you’re

planning to get a good job. Right now through his

preschool we like him to get him to spell his name, read

his name. We cut out the letters and put them on contact paper.

I teach him different words. If he doesn’t understand a word, we try to explain it to him,

what it means. I read them different material. Mom will sit down with a map to show him the

cities where I am. He’ll talk to me on the phone and she’ll show him where I am on the map.

I work on my old truck when I can. I know he likes to help with that. He’ll be

inquisitive and ask what I’m doing. He likes to help. I f I crawl up underneath the truck to

check on an air line or something he’s right there with me. We bought him a little ride-on

truck so if we’re washing the van or I’m washing the truck, then he’ll wash whatever.

The little girl, when I read him a story last night, she came in the room, sat on my lap.

Right now she wants to tear the pages out, but she seems interested. I enjoy sitting down with

the kids to read.

James

Employment coordinator

Father of two, 3 months, 17 months old

Since I don’t see my kids all day, reading to them is a

20 minute excuse to talk to them. It allows me some

alone time, some one-on-one with them. Second, it’s

important for them to hear my tone of voice when I’m

reading. That way, they don’t just know the

disciplinary voice. It’s a great excuse to talk with

them and learn their likes and dislikes, what makes

them happy. That’s the third reason.

My wife makes fun noises and voices with the

kids. With me, it’s straight down the line. We relate

what we saw that day to what we read that night. For

example, if we saw a car that day, I’d emphasize that at night. Say we were reading a

book with a car in it—I would point out the picture of the car and use it in another

sentence, like, “Taylor and Dad rode in a car on the way to the store.” We repeat songs

we hear on kids’ shows, and we rhyme sometimes at night. Also in the car, we sing and

listen to kids’ songs. Really, no place is immune. Even when the kids aren’t there, I

find myself humming those kids’ songs, at work, wherever. They are stuck in my head.

It’s so hard to get involved later if you don’t get involved early. They start learning

independently later, but they will have so much more trust in you if you are involved in

the learning process. Maybe this will be the only time in my life I can read to or with

my kids, so I do it. 

“He’ll open a book and mumble

stuff and act like he’s reading.

Sometimes he’ll stay on a page for

a long time. He likes funny books

and rhyming ones. “

“He’ll talk to me on the

phone and she’ll show him

where I am on the map.”

“We have read the same books

over and over again and she does

not get tired of them.“

“She has just found her hands

and she likes to touch books and

she enjoys books that have

textures. She reaches out and

touches the different textures

and I tell her the words.” 

“We relate what we saw

that day to what we read

that night.”

7
This product was produced under National Institute for Literacy Contract No.

ED-00CO-0093 with RMC Research Corporation. The views expressed herein

do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Institute for Literacy.

No official endorsement by the National Institute for Literacy of any product,

commodity, or enterprise in this publication is intended or should be inferred.

The National Institute for Literacy, an agency in the Federal

government, is authorized to help strengthen literacy across the lifespan. 

The Institute works to provide national leadership on literacy issues,

including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and

adults by sharing information on scientifically based research. 

Sandra Baxter, Director

Lynn Reddy, Deputy Director

The Partnership for Reading, a project administered by the National

Institute for Literacy, is a collaborative effort of the National Institute for

Literacy, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the

U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services to make scientifically based reading research available to educators,

parents, policy makers, and others with an interest in helping all people learn

to read well.

This Partnership for Reading publication describes some strategies

proven to work by the most rigorous scientific reading research available on

the teaching of reading. The research that confirmed the effectiveness of

these strategies used systematic, empirical methods drawn from observation

or experiment; involved rigorous data analyses to test its hypotheses and

justify its conclusions; produced valid data across multiple evaluators and

observations; and was accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a

panel of independent experts. This publication also was subject to two

reviews; one by staff from the Institute of Education Sciences, the National

Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the U.S. Department of

Education, and the National Institute for Literacy; and one by external

reviewers. For detailed information on the review processes, contact The

Partnership for Reading at the National Institute for Literacy, 1775 I St, NW,

Suite 730, Washington, DC 20006.

Believe it or not, if you mix up the letters in CLINT EASTWOOD,

you get OLD WEST ACTION. HARRISON FORD might have

predicted his movie adventures if he had known his name spells

out FINDS A HORROR. And WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE would

probably be humbled to know that the letters in his name can be

rearranged to say I’M A WEAKISH SPELLER.

These are called anagrams, and sometimes anagrams of

famous names can result in strange coincidences.

Anyone’s name can be anagrammed. Sometimes the results

are interesting, sometimes they don’t make much sense, but

anyone can give it a try! You and your son or daughter might

want to see if you can anagram your names yourselves. Write

down your names and see what words you can find in them by

moving the letters around. Try to use ALL of the letters in a name

to make a proper anagram. You can make as many words as you

like. Sometimes anagrams even make whole sentences (see the

example below). It helps to put each letter on a little piece of

paper so you can move them around more easily.

If you need a little help, try this free website:

http://www.anagramgenius.com/server.html. The site will give

you the best anagram for a name. And if your name happens to

be Sidney Poitier, you can say YET I DO INSPIRE.

ATE

AM

RUST

DOLL

ON

EAT

SEA

TON

WASH

NOT

TEND

SURE

SECRET

ERIE

DEPART

UNIT

PUB

VAT

ASH

TAR

ERA

SERVE

PART

MEN

Here’s a quick word game to do with your kids

(some preschoolers can do this, and most

kindergartners and older children). Take a one

dollar bill and ask your kids to search for the

following words. These are words hidden

inside words that appear on the dollar, so it 

will take some looking! This is a great way to 

get kids tuned in to letter combinations and how

letters come together to make words. Who can find

the most? Winner gets a dollar! (Some of these words

appear more than once!)

Got Five Minutes and a Buck?

WordPlay

Mix It Up!

Fun stuff to do with your kids!

Answers: GAME, LAME, LIME, TIME, TILE, MILE, MILL, HILL, HALL, TALL, TAIL,

HAIL, MAIL, MALL, MALE, GALE, GAME

Can you get from GAME to GAME (the first and last words in this list)?

Start at the top of the list. Change only one letter in each word to make a

word that matches the next definition. We started it for you. 

Got Game?

• This is the beginning of the G A M E

Change one letter in GAME to describe:

• A horse with a hurt leg L A M E

We’ll give you a little help on the next one, too. 

Keep going! Change one letter in LAME to spell

• A green fruit L M E

Now you’re on your own! 

Change one letter in the word above to get:

• What clocks measure

• A square on the floor

• Run a four minute

• Where flour is made

• Climb a

• It connects classrooms

• Not short

• A monkey has one

• Ice from the sky

• Post office business

• A place to shop

• Not a girl

• A strong wind

• You’ve reached the end of the G A M E 

8