Why school readiness matters
	Parenting tips and tools
	News & events
	Frequently asked questions
	Making the Business Case
	Resources
Reading Information
	The reading connection
	Facts about reading
	Recommended reading
Print version Forward this Article Subscribe to e-mail

Perhaps more than any other single activity, reading is critical to a child's development and future success. And it's free. So why are there still parents and caregivers who aren't reading to their children every day? Perhaps they're too busy. Or maybe they're not sure how to engage young, wiggly children.

Have you ever tried to make a baby "pat the bunny" when all that baby really wants is milk? Or have you ever felt frustrated when your audience would rather rip the pages than find out what happens to the main character? No one ever tells you what a tough audience the birth-to-five crowd can be. Not to worry. We've put together some simple suggestions to get kids interested in books because that is the first step in becoming a lifelong learner.

Getting Started

• Make it fun. Don't force a child to finish a book if he or she has lost interest. Focus on what's interesting to the child. Engage them with conversation. The idea is to spend quality time together and build teachable moments around books.
• Designate a special chair or cozy nook in your home and make it your regular reading spot.
• Take advantage of your local library, and visit often with your child.
• Be dramatic. Put some flair into the characters, and vary the pitch and volume of your voice.
• While you're reading a book, stop to ask specific questions to get your child thinking.
• After the story, talk about the ideas introduced. Encourage your child to ask questions.
• Try to relate the story to something in your life.
• Tell your family's story by looking at photos together.
• Make up your own stories.
• Set a good example by setting aside reading time for yourself. Let your child see you enjoying a good book or magazine.

Infants and Toddlers

• Babies love pictures of everyday objects and people in their world. Try making your own books by cutting out pictures from magazines or taking photos that they'll recognize and pasting them onto cardboard, cloth, or something that's a little more durable than paper. Try making books based on themes, like animals or emotions or shapes and colors.
• Very young children are just as likely to try to eat a book as they are to look at the pictures, so board books are preferable to books with delicate pages. There are even books made of plastic that are easy to clean.
• Choose books that are simple, bold and bright. Most board books have just one idea per page.

Preschoolers

• Preschoolers like repetition. They find a book they like and want to hear it over, and over, and over again. If you need variety, try out different voices or accents. Or to exercise your brain, try reciting from memory.
• Kids this age like action and interactivity. Flap books are always a big hit, though they don't always last too long.
• Wordless books can be fun and a good starting point for question-and-answer games or a discussion about something.
• Try reading simple non-fiction about something in real life, like the weather, professions, or how to build a house.
• Rhymes, animal sounds, and silly and nonsensical words are especially popular with this age group.
• Large, colorful illustrations and photos that show action are the best attention-getters.
• The attention span of a preschooler rarely lasts longer than 5-10 minutes, so keep the stories short, and condense when necessary.

The King County Library System has a wealth of resources to help parents and caregivers promote early literacy. Download their Ready to Read Guide in Spanish or English, for example, or visit the Ready to Read section of their Web site. For more tips on reading aloud with children visit Every Child a Reader or call 206.343.0449 to order free copies of a pamphlet that lists 10 tips for reading aloud with children.

There are so many excellent children's books now that the choices can seem overwhelming. To help you get started, we've put together a recommended reading list of some old and new favorites from A-Z. If you have a favorite that you'd like to share, please let us know and we'll consider adding it to our list.

Was this article helpful to you? Yes No