1. WEB RESOURCES
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
5 Ways to
Jim Trelease wrote the book (actually!) about the benefits
Make Reading of reading aloud. We have a copy in the library - ask to
borrow it! Not only does this book explain why reading
1. Bring back the Fun! is so valuable, it also gives many great suggestions for
read-alouds to enjoy with your children!
Read-Aloud!
Reading out loud is not only a stepping stone to learing to www.guysread.com !
read silently; it’s also a way to build vocaulary, attention skills,
and comprehension! Switch things up! Don’t only read at Guys Read is a web-based literacy program for boys
bedtime! Read at breakfast or after school. Have siblings founded by author Jon Scieszka. Their mission is to help
read to each other or the family pet! Alternate chapters or boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers. This HIGHLANDS
pages with your child! website is all about “guys” and offers recommendations ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
of books to read in different genres and themes.
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
www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/!
FAMILY FUN NIGHT:
Visit this website to help you and your child find more
a book in your bag to read while you are waiting at a
restaurant or doctor’s appointment!
books to enjoy together. Click on SIMILAR BOOKS to READING!
find read-alikes to favorites you have read together.
3. Bring stories to life! mrschureads.blogspot.com
Read horse books before your child goes to horseback riding
Mr. Schu is a K-5 teacher librarian at Brook Forest
lessons. Read football or baseball books before the big game.
Elementary School in Oak Brook. His blog,
Keep the topics relevant to what is going on in your child’s
Watch.Connect.Read, was a runner-up in the 2012
life!
edublog awards for Library/Librarian blogs. He shares all
sorts of great information about wonderful books (and
4. Be a reading buddy! more) that you might enjoy with your kids!
Model good reading habits for your child by choosing a book
over TV. If you see your child reading, drop what you are http://www.neh.gov/news/summertime-
doing and sit down with a book of your own. If possible,
favorites
make reading a family event!
This website offers links to lists of books broken down
5. Make books a basic! by age group that make for great reading - together or
Look at reading material like food and clothes - don’t leave alone!
bookshelves empty. Fill them with interesting things for your
child to read!
http://www.parenting.com/article/5-ways-to-make-reading-fun

2. TIPS FOR READING
WITH YOUR CHILD
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
Read to a child 20 minutes a Reading will help them make connections to their own
day - it makes a difference! Makes a lives or to other books they have read.
Difference!! • Read many kinds of books - both stories and
informational books. Also, read in many
genres like mystery, adventure, historical
fiction, and fantasy.
DID YOU KNOW? The more adults read aloud to children, the larger their
vocabularies will grow and the more they will know about •Re-read favorite books -
Students who read magazines and newspapers regularly for the world and their place in it. hearing books over and over
enjoyment also tend to be better readers than those helps children understand more
Boys lag behind girls in reading proficiency in all 50 states - and notice new things!
students who do not.
in some states by as much as 10 percentage points.
If you read 20 minutes each day, you will read 3600 minutes
Reading to younger children prepares them for school by •Make a game of reading -
in a school year - by the end of 6th grade, that will have
teaching them the skills they need to be good listeners. create a chart or make a paper
added up to the equivalent of 60 whole school days! chain link with the name of
Reading to older kids helps them understand grammar and each book you have read
Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best
correct sentence structure. together. See how long the chain gets over
activities to stimulate language and
cognitive skills; it also builds the course of the year.
Being read to builds children’s attention spans and helps
motivation, curiosity and memory. them hone their listening skills - a good tool for the • Track books you have read at goodreads.com;
classroom! help your child give them star ratings and/or
Reading aloud gives children
background knowledge, which reviews. You can also create a shelf of books
Reading to your kids is BONDING TIME! you would like to read together in the future!
helps them make sense of what
It is good for you and good for them!
they see, hear, and read.