It’s never too early to
begin reading to a child. Even infants love the sounds of words in lullabies
and rhymes.
Set aside some time for
reading aloud every day. Let children snuggle close to you. That way, they will
think of reading as a happy time when they have your full attention.
Your reading time doesn’t
need to be long—10 or 15 minutes each day is fine.
Remember: if you read
just one story a night to children, they will arrive in kindergarten with more
than a thousand story-sharing experiences.
As you read, you can also
boost a child’s thinking skills — and have fun.
Ask children to think
about why something is happening in the story — or what they might do if they
were in the same situation. For example, “What would you do if you were Little
Red Riding Hood?”
When you’ve finished a
book, ask children to think about how to change the story.
For example, “What would
have happened if all three little pigs had built their houses of bricks?”
You can have fun with
these questions. Even better, your children will be developing thinking and
reasoning skills that lead to success in school.
