Parents will ask you, if they have not already, how they can help improve their child’s reading test scores.The ability to read well is the key to success in school and in life.  Parents often want their children to become good readers, but don’t always know what to do to make that happen at home.  Here are some tips that you can offer parents of your students.  These tips can be given in their entirety to parents or you can pick and choose which to send home based on the situation.

Here are our top six suggestions to share with parents:

Read To Them Early and Often

Most children love to be read to.  They learn to associate a story with relaxation and enjoyment.  Having a child snuggled up on a lap with a book not only brings a parent and child close, but helps the child to learn vocabulary and build background knowledge about the world. They learn how books work- moving from left to right, turning pages and reading the pictures and words.  Most of all, they learn that reading is fun.

Be A Role Model

Let your children see you read- books, magazines, the newspaper … whatever.  Talk about your reading with others.  Actions speak louder than words- if you want your child to become a reader, be one yourself.

Take Your Child to the Library

Unlike a store, in a library, children can have anything  and everything they choose, and you don’t have to worry about your budget.   Libraries also have story hours and activities for children.  Children’s librarians are knowledgeable and can help you find just the right books for your child.

Visit a Little Free Library

If your neighborhood has a Little Free Library, visit it often, children love these little book houses where they can donate an outgrown book and choose a new one!  If there isn’t one near you,  consider starting one as a family project.  To find  a Little Free Library near you, visit the Little Free Library Website.

Start a Book Collection

As wonderful as libraries are, it is good for children to have their own books.  Favorite books, like a favorite toy, can be a source of comfort and amusement.  Children will pick up their favorite books and read them again and again.  Nothing says “I am a reader” like owning books. If your child owns books, they will never be without something to read.

Make Reading Fun

They bottom line in all educational  research about reading is the more you read, the better you will read!  If children enjoy reading, they will read more.  If they read more, they will read better.  Don’t make reading a chore or a punishment.  Make it fun.  Together, you can cook a food mentioned in a children’s book.  Read books in fun places like the beach or park. Give kids a flashlight and let them read in bed.

Parents are a child’s first teachers.  How they approach reading can determine whether their child is a good reader, or whether they avoid reading.  Encourage parents to help their child find the love of reading.  Suggest that parents give their child plenty of time to read. Then, follow these same suggestions in your own classroom for a wrap-around approach that supports young readers in both their home and school environments.

Happy reading,

What other suggestions would you offer parents to help their children to become readers?  We would love to hear your tips in the comments below.