How to Help - You Are Your Child's First Teacher

Preschoolers are developing the skills that will help learn how to read when they enter school. Here's what you can do:

Let your child join in at reading time. Encourage them to repeat a refrain in the story or guess which rhyming word comes next.
Talk to your child about what you read together. Ask questions like, "How does the boy in the story feel?"
Share family stories together. Your preschooler will love to hear stories about what life was like when you were little.
Encourage your child to select books independently at the Library, at the bookstore, and at home.

Turn off the TV and the radio when you're reading with your child.
Keep a variety of reading materials in your home, such as newspapers and magazines, as well as books. Let your child catch you reading!

Illustrations from WILD ABOUT BOOKS by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown, Copyright © 2004 by Judy Sierra, illustrations copyright © 2004 by Marc Brown. Reproduced by permission of Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc.