March is Reading Month!

It’s hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner, but after the amount of snow and cold, windy days we’ve had, I know the warming winds of Spring will be a welcome change! As we begin to celebrate March is Reading Month, I thought I’d share 25 ways to Promote Reading in Your Family:

Spend 30 minutes a day reading to your child
Keep reading materials visible and available in your house
Talk about the story as you read
Give books as gifts
Have a family reading time. DEAR– Drop Everything And Read
Sing songs, say nursery rhymes and poems together
Read environmental print with your child– food labels, signs, posters etc.
Follow a recipe with your child
Exchange refrigerator messages with your child
Make reading together a happy time
Take your child to the Library once a week
Encourage your child to write and make books
Establish a routine time for daily reading
Read favorite books over and over again
Encourage your child to ask questions about the story
Take books and tapes in the car. Read while traveling and waiting for extracurricular activities to begin
Make lists together
Talk about the pictures in the books
Make cards and send them to family and friends
Look at the book cover. Encourage your child to make predications about the book
Let your child see you reading for enjoyment
Make a writing box for your child. Select a special place for writing
Read the mail with your child
Talk about the story after reading it. Encourage your child to retell the story.
Read, Read, Read, Read, and then Read some more!!

Over the next few weeks at Kerby, we will have a “Read In”, “Assembly with Author Lisa Wheeler”, “Get Caught Reading” and time to “Read Together”. Next time you are in the building be sure to take a look at the “How do We Read at Kerby” bulletin board across from the gym. Many thanks to Anne Maurer, Kerby’s Media Specialist, for all of the time and effort she has put in organizing these special activities.