We all know that it is important to read with our children. A Parent's Guide to Reading With Your Young Child (read an excerpt), by Dr. Susan Neuman and Tanya S. Wright, provides great insights on what to read and how to read.
Here are some of the tips from the book:
- If you are in a book club, add a children's book from time to time.
- Establish the reading habit, and remember that books can be read anytime/anywhere.
- Keep reading to your children even when they can read on their own.
- Talk about what you are reading together.
- Enjoy books in a variety of formats like on DVDs, starting when children are 2. However, your lap is better than any laptop.
And if you can't read Good Night Moon one more time on some evenings, try these five alternatives:
- Your stories — make them up or talk about yourself
- Mother Goose's Storytime Nursery Rhymes by Axel Scheffler
- Mermaid Dreams by Mark Sperring
- Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
- Whatever you are reading — poetry and plays too
Here are some of the tips the parents in the audience shared about reading with their children:
- Skip the words (sometimes).
- Wear a costume or a hat.
- Let your child finish the words at the end of each sentence.
- Encourage your child to pick out books in the bookstore.
- Have your child be part of the story.
- Sing the story!
- Read in the bathtub!
- Act out parts of the book with your child, and take turns being different characters.
