Good Habits Start Early
Early literacy creates life-long readers . I have read to my children everyday since the day they were born . My oldest daughter is seventeen and the youngest is nine , and I started a bedtime routine of reading to them when they were infants . I would cradle my baby and read softly , altering the tone of my voice to inflect what was happening in the story . Although the girls probably didn ’ t understand what I was saying at the time , they heard the words that I repeated on many nights . As they became older , they began to repeat the words in their special “ baby talk ” as I would read to them . That was the very beginning of their vocabulary .
Then there was the stage from six months to a year , where they sat in my lap and were curious about the books I read from , trying to turn the pages , pointing to the pictures as I talked about a character ( and of course trying to eat the books . I mean , nothing tastes better than colorful pages with pictures and words , right ?). But what my girls eventually did was retell the stories on their own . They were excited about the books and knew what was coming next because they had memorized the stories .
In the toddler stage , the girls would pick the books they wanted me to read to them . Not only would I read the stories and point to the words while my girls sat on my lap , but I also asked questions about what they thought would happen next or if a character did something different , what the outcome would be . Their explanations were hilarious and it was amazing to hear their take on the story . Then other times , they would read the story to me , pointing to the words as they read . Some would be correct and the others would be made up , but either way , they read the story in their own words . They understood the story . Comprehension is an amazing thing .
As a Licensed Childcare Provider , I practice the same reading strategies with the children in my care . First , understand that children pick up on your vibes , good or bad , so being enthusiastic about reading to and with them is important . I buy cardboard books with cardboard pages for infants and younger toddlers because they enjoy turning the pages and looking at the pictures . Books with catchy hooks , rhymes , and short sentences are great for beginner readers . Good habits start young . The most important tool is to read at least twenty minutes everyday .
Be consistent , let the children pick out the books that interest them , and make reading fun .