Summertime… and the Readin' is Easy!

Learning doesn't begin in kindergarten; it begins from the time your child is born. And as your child's first and most important teacher, you lay the foundation in reading early on to help your children later in life.

It's never too early to start, and experts recommend reading to your children every day. There is no better time to start making reading a part of your family's everyday routine than in the summer. Here's some Parent Power! ideas to help encourage reading this summer!

• Keep reading fun! Nagging your children to read will make them feel as if it's a chore.
  
• Ask questions about what they are reading. Showing an interest in their interests will build confidence, but be sure not to let on that you are "testing" them. In return, offer up an interesting snippet of something you read in the newspaper or reference your own recreational reading.
  
• By all means, never reject a request to go to the library! Encourage it and while you are at it, show your kids by example how even adults enjoy reading by picking out a book or two for yourself.
  
• If in your child's summer reading you see signs of trouble, it may be time to find out how reading is being taught at school. Is the program phonics-based or fuzzy?
  
• Just like the approach to reading, if you keep the television viewing to a minimum at an early age, you'll find it easier to keep it to a minimum as your children get older. Making reading a part of your family culture will help ensure that battles over television and video games do not ensue.

Back to Power Topic: Summer Fun.