November is Child Literacy Month! First 5 LA wants parents to know that reading aloud to young children builds a strong vocabulary and a love for reading that prepares children to succeed in school. And choosing books as gifts this holiday season teaches them that books are special and important!
Every year, 35 percent of American children start kindergarten without the language skills they need to learn to read. In fact, studies of individual families show that supporting literacy in the home is more important to a child’s success in school than family income or education level.
Here are five easy tips for reading aloud to young children:
Read to your child every day, for at least 30 minutes in total.
Try reading for a few minutes at a time, children may only sit for a short time for a story.
Make the story come alive – create voices for the characters or sing about the pictures.
Ask questions about the story and let your child ask questions too.
For infants, choose simple and colorful cloth and vinyl books. For preschoolers, choose books with repetition and rhyme.
To find more tips and literacy activities, click on the “Leading to Reading” image below to visit the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Web site.
To find reading events at L.A. County libraries and much more, click here to visit First 5 LA’s parenting Web site, Ready. Set. Grow!
