Reading Tips for Parents
Shirley Minster

What can a parent do to keep a child’s reading skills sharp so that they can read and comprehend better? The following tips will help family relationships deepen as you discuss what your children are reading and in so doing, discover their perceptions as they share their ideas. Exciting adventures await you as you embark on this learning trip together.

Read together at least three times a week. If you’re not sure what books are appropriate, ask your librarian and friends. Not-too-scary mysteries, adventure stories, biographies, and poetry are possibilities. Don’t forget missionary stories, either. Many a child has been thrilled to read of the bravery and love missionaries exhibited as they followed God. You never know when you are planting seeds that bear His fruit in good season.

-Have your child read to you from books and magazines of interest to him. Nothing is more rewarding for a parent than to have little Jimmy come running up and say, “Listen to this, Mom!” So make sure good reading material is readily available. Books with limericks and jokes are great, especially for the reluctant reader, because of the brevity and humor. Be forewarned: you may get tired hearing, “Just listen to one more, Dad,” but it’s a small price to pay when you hear the excitement in your child’s voice.

Review the alphabet with young children. Sing it and make it peppy. Write it on the sand at the beach, on paper at home, and on the car windows on rainy day travels. Play car games such as finding words that start with each letter and go in alphabetical order (a-Atlantic, b-Brunswick, c-Civic Center, etc.). Practice alphabetical order by asking which word on a specific sign would come first.

Make a weekly trek to your local library. Ask for a tour and go with your children. You’ll be surprise at all the new high-tech advancements. Try out the computer to search for books. Explore the shelves together and then let the children hunt for their own treasures. Their excitement at their finds will be infectious.

Visit bookstores that sell used books. The older and more decrepit a building, the better. It’s fun to go hunting up and down dusty aisles looking for new literary treasures. Encourage your children to purchase their own books and to start their own personal libraries. As you see what books each purchases, you’ll get ideas for birthdays gifts. When you get home, embark on a family project of making simple bookshelves from boards and cement blocks. If you’re not the building type, purchase a bookcase dedicated to each one’s personal library. Consider having brass plates made with each child’s name engraved. Practice those alphabetical skills by having them put the authors in order. You might even start a recipe box with a separate card for each book, author, and copyright. (Hint: Let the children decorate them so no mix-ups occur.)