helpingyourchild

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become a reader

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activity

A home for my books

(For children ages two through six)

Starting a home library shows your child the importance of books.

Having books that your child owns and keeps in a special place

increases the chance that he or she will want to read and provides the

opportunity to read with you every day.

What you need:

✪Books from bookstores, garage sales, flea markets, used bookstores,

or sales at your local library; and

✪A bookcase, cardboard box, or other materials to make a place for

books.

What to do:

✪Pick a special place for your child’s books so that he or she knows

where to look for them. A cardboard box that you decorate together

could make for a good bookcase, or you might clear one of the

family bookshelves.

✪Help your child arrange his or her books in some order—favorite

books, books about animals, holiday books. Use whatever method

will help you and your child most easily find reading material for

different moods, times, and interests.

✪Borrow books from your local library. Go to the children’s section and

spend time with your child reading and selecting books to take home

and put in his or her designated special place. You might have a

separate space for library books, so that they do not get mixed up

with the books your child owns.

✪Encourage family members and friends to give your child books for

birthdays and other occasions.

tips for parents

A reading checklist

There are many ways that you can encourage your child to become a reader.

Here are questions that you can ask yourself to ensure that you are on track:

For babies (from six weeks to one year)

✪ Do I provide a comfortable place for our story time? Is my child happy here?

✪ Am I showing my child the pictures in the book? Am I changing the tone of

my voice as I read to show emotion and excitement?

✪ Am I paying attention to how my child responds? What does he or she

especially like? Do I recognize when my child is tired and ready to stop?

For toddlers (from one to three years)

All of the questions above, plus:

✪ Does my child enjoy the book we are reading?

✪ Do I encourage my child to “pretend to read,” joining in where he or she has

memorized words or phrases?

✪ When I ask questions, am I giving my child enough time to think and answer?

✪ Do I tie ideas in the book to things that are familiar to my child? Does my child

make connections on his or her own?

✪ Do I let my child know how much I like his or her ideas and encourage him or

her to tell me more?

✪ Do I point out letters, such as the first letter of my child’s name?

For preschoolers (from three to four years)

All of the questions above, plus:

✪ Do I find ways to help my child begin to identify sounds and letters and to

make letter-sound matches?

resources

This brochure was drawn from the larger booklet in the Helping Your Child

series, “Helping Your Child Become a Reader.” This booklet offers tips on

how to build the language skills of young children (infants through age

10), a list of typical language accomplishments for different age groups,

book suggestions, and resources for children with reading problems. For

more information on how to help your child with reading—along with a

wide range of other subjects—visit the Helping Your Child series Web site

at www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/hyc.html.

For more information on how you can help your child become a reader,

take a look at the following resources from the U.S. Department of

Education and other organizations:

U.S. Department of Education: www.ed.gov or 1-800-USA-LEARN

The Parents Portal: www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE):

www.ed.gov/free/index.html

Parental Information and Resource Centers:

www.ed.gov/programs/pirc/index.html

National Institute for Literacy: www.nifl.gov

National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education:

www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI

NOTE: This document contains information about and from public and private entities and

organizations for the reader’s information. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by

the U.S. Department of Education of any entity, organization, products or services offered

or views expressed. This publication also contains hyperlinks and URLs created and

maintained by outside organizations and are provided for the reader’s convenience.

The Department is not responsible for the accuracy of information found in them.

One of the most important things parents can do, other than to help

their children grow up healthy and happy, is to help them develop

strong reading skills. It is no exaggeration to say that how well

children learn to read directly affects not only how well they perform

in school but also how successful they are throughout their lives.

When children learn to read, they have the key that opens doors to all

the knowledge in the world.

Although well-trained teachers and research-based reading

instruction are important, the foundation for learning how to read

must be built long before children begin school. There are steps that

parents and families can take to ensure that their children are on

track to becoming successful readers. This reading adventure is

one that parents will not want to miss because the benefits for their

children will last a lifetime.

All parents want their children to receive a quality education. The

No Child Left Behind Act, the national effort to improve

education, recognizes that it is vital for children to master the core

academic subjects like reading if they are to perform to the

highest standards of achievement. This brochure is based on

the Helping Your Child series of publications for parents and

families, which is designed to provide parents with the latest

research and practical information to help them support their

children and ensure their children’s success in school and in life.

As parents, the most important thing we can do is read to our

children early and often. Reading is the path to success in school

and life. When children learn to love books, they learn to love

learning.

—Mrs. Laura Bush

A parent is a child’s first and most important teacher, which is

why the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 recognizes parents’

vital role in education.

—Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

U.S. Department of Education