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Kids and the Internet | Reduce Stress before School | What Should I ask? | 100 Ways Families Can Read
Poor Sleep, Poor Grades
Helping
Children Learn - Monthly Newsletters
You
can see any issue from September 2006 until this month in either English or
Spanish. Click on this link to see the Alpine School District Links
to these excellent sources for student learning,
monthly issues.
The Rewards of Reading
You know how important it is to read to your children.
Chiidren whose families read with them do better in school. And the bonds that you make with your children when you read with them help them feel loved,
comforted, and secure. Like most families, you want to read with your children, but somehow days can go by without
you sitting donw with them and opening a book. The key is to make it a priority. Here are several suggestions to help your children improve their
reading skills.
Fifteen
minutes a day can change their lives. You may be surprised to know that educators recommend just fifteen minutes a day of reading,
as a minumum. Like exercise, of course, longer sessions are even more beneficial.
Always have a book on hand, no matter where you are
. Keep a small book in yhour purse or your car's glove compartment. Or have a picture book or two in the baby's stroller.
Make sure that you and your children alwyas have something to read when time is available.
Focus on their interests.
Reading with you shold be for pleasure, so get books from the school or public library that feature characters or topics they're really interested in.
It doesn't matter if they're reading a book about NASCAR or NASA -- either way, they're reading!
Ask them questions while you're reading.
Everyone is a better "listener" when they know they're going to be asked questions about what they're listening to. Don't make it a test, but do keep their
interest going by asking them questions about what's being read. Get their brains working. Instead, ask questions like "Why do you think he did that?"
"What would you do if you were in that situation?", or "What do you think will happen nest?"
Be a patient listener. It can be difficult listening to your children
struggle while reading. But think how terribly important it is that they succeed. Don't jump in and finish the sentence for them,
no matter hwo slowly they're reading. Instead, encourage their effort and let them see that your're proud they're reading, and not
annoyed that it's taking so long.
Get everyone involved. The more people who
with your children, the more they'll see that reading is important. Talk with the other adults and older children in your household
and let them know that reading with each child is going to be a daily activity, and that you need them to participate.
But first .... Kids make time for a lot of
extras in their day. So do parents. TV shows, computer games, and going online can eat up surprising amoutns of time. Read first--before the computer goes on or
their favorite TV show comes on.
There's something special about owning a book. Libraries and garage sales offer "well loved" books for sale, often for as little as twenty-five cents.
Keep spare change on hand so you can pick up some great reads for your children when you see a sale. When birthdays or holidays come around, make sure
there's always a good book wrapped up and waiting.
Libraries and garage sales offer "well loved" books for sale, often for as little as twenty-five cents.
Keep spare change on hand so you can pick up some great reads for your children when you see a sale. When birthdays or holidays come around, make sure there's always a good book wrapped up and waiting.
there's always a good book wrapped up and waiting.
Note: To increase your home library, you can purchase "well loved" books at yard
sales and at thrift stores for a nominal cost.
100 Ways Families Can Read 100 Books [Menu]
- Appreciate
the books your child selects, even those that look too easy or don't interest you.
- Arrange for older children to read to younger ones, and vice versa.
- Assign boys to read a "girls' book" and girls to read a "boys' book".
- At Halloween, dress as a character from a book.
- Bedtime is 8:00, unless your're reading; then it is 8:30 p.m.
- Call a friend. Tell him or her about the latest book you've read.
- Celebrate an author's birthday.
- Creat
a reading graffiti bulletin board for comments regarding books.
- Create bibliographies for varous interest or curriculum areas. Include easy to read
read ficiton and non-fiction on all lists, if appropriate and possible.
- Donate a book your've read to your child's classroom library.
- Don't read every day-just the days you eat.
- Encourage your child to share stories with you.
- Establisha time for reading in your home. Everyone in the family reads
at that time.
- Establish an author file, including biographies, pictures,book jackets, anything you can find.
- Find out what Dad and Mom read at work.
- Give an award to the student who has checked out the most books in a year or term.
- Give your child a flashlight, read under the covers.
- Give your father a book for Father's Day.
- Give your father a book for Mother's Day.
- Have chili or hot chocolate while reading around a bonfire or in front of the fireplace.
- Have children create a radio, television, billboard, or newpaper ad for a book they've reading.
- Have students create dioramas of a favorite book.
- Have students write a letter to a character from a book. Have someone else who has read the book answer the letter for that character.
- Help your child to set a challenging but realistic reading goal.
- Hold a lunch hour book club once a month.
- Hold a family readathon: For at lest one hour, NO TV just reading.
- Home imporovement time: Paint your house READ?
- Join a book club. If you can't find one, start one.
- Keep a reading log. You may be surprised at how much and what you read.
- Learn something new. Read non-fiction with your family.
- Learn ot use the Internet. You can get book lists, author bigraphies, lots of good stuff - FREE.
- Let the tooth fairy become the book fairy: Lose a tooth, get a book.
- Let your child choose the books he or she wants to read.
- Make a bulletin board whre coworkers, students, family members recommend books.
- Make a reading passport, read your way around the world.
- Make history come alive: Read historical fiction.
- Make merit badge, how-to , and comic books available to entice reluctant readers.
- Offer to share stories at bedtime or after a meal.
- Pick up a reading list at your library - for you or for your child.
- Point out directional and other sighns to your preschool children and read what they say.
- Put up a bulletin board featuring the favorite childhood books of employees.
- Quiet Time: DEAR family (Drop Everything And Read).
- Read a biography of someone you've never heard of.
- Read a book about the place you will visit on vacation.
- Read a book aloud together.
- Read a book outside under a tree during the summer.
- Read a book set in a country you've always wanted to visit.
- Read a book set in a particular state.
- Read a book. Watch a video based on the book. Compare the two.
- Read a crafts book and try a project form it - how about a kite this spring!
- Read a French tale or a book about France in July (for Bastille Day).
- Read a Mexican tale of a book abot Mexico in May (for Cinco de Mayo).
- Read a seasonal story: Spring, summer, fall, winter, or holidays.
- Read a scary story in the dark for Halloween.
- Read a story about a one room school. compare then and now.
- Read a story about a winter activity.
- Read a story about friends.
- Read a story about the pilgrims for Thanksgiving.
- Read an award winning adult book.
- Read an award winning chidren's book.
- Read an Irish tale or a book about Ireland during March.
- Read! Make sure the children in your life know you enjoy reading.
- Read one of your child's books and discuss it with him or her.
- Read picture books to older children or adults; they'll love it!
- Read some romantic poety for Valentive's Day.
- Read the back of your cereal box at breakfast.
- Read the billboards with your children as you walk or drive.
- Read the declaration of Independence and the Constituion for Independence Day.
- Read the newspaper.
- Read to your child(ren), no matter how old they are or how well they can read to themselves.
- Read twelve books for christmas or eight books for Hanukkah, seven for Kwanzaa.
- Read aloud while fixing dinner.
- Remember that children you love, love books.
- Reread a favorite book from your childhood, then give it and read it to your child.
- Reward student swho have read the most hours during a term, semester, or year.
- RIBIT! (Read in Bed, It's Terrific)
- Set up a "Parent Shelf"for books on parenting skills in your school library.
- Share the books you read with coworksers: Start a library at work.
- Sign your preschooler up for story time at your local library.
- Sponsor a contest for reading 100 hours - or any challenging amount of time.
- Sponsor an after-school / work novels club. Everyone reads the same book for discussion.
- Spotlight a different genre of books each month.
- Spotlight a Utah author at home, work or school.
- Start a family library.
- Start an IRA (Individual Reading Account).
- Start a neighborhood reading club.
- Take a book along to read together while waiting at the airport.
- Take a book along to read together while waiting at the doctor's or dentist's office.
- Take a book to school instead of birthday treats.
- Take an interest in the books that interest your child(ren).
- Take turns reading aloud during a driving vacation - or listen to a book on tape.
- Take turns reading to each other while you do dishes, fold laundry, etc. You
get the idea!
- Teach someone to read. Then give that person a book.
- Trade books you've read with a neighbor.
- Visit garage slaes and thrift shops to find best sellers at bargain prices.
- Visit your child's school library.
- Visit your local public library with someone you care about.
- Volunteer to read stories of share books at your child's school.
- While grocery shopping, have older child(ren) read nutrition labels on foods they choose.
- Write to an author, via E-mail or regular mail.
Developed
By Utah Count on Reading Committee.
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