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Donna’s three-year-old daughter amazes her. It seems she is always bent over a
book. She can’t read yet, of course, but there she is, looking at the pictures,
smiling.
From an early age, Donna tried to instill in her daughter a love of reading with
simple activities, like reading books to her every day when she was an infant.
Later, they would make up stories using toys as props. Now, it seems, her efforts
are paying off.
But what does Donna do for an encore? How does she build on the love of reading
her daughter has developed?
In Donna’s case, she doesn’t have to do much more than she is already doing.
Donna, for example, is an avid reader herself. It helps a great deal when parents
read often. Children try to do what they see their parents do. If you watch a lot
of television, you can expect your child to want to do the same. If you want to
promote reading, read in front of your child regularly.
Donna’s regular story time with her daughter should continue even when her daughter
begins to read herself. Reading and being read to promotes the love of words and
books. Even if a child is too young to understand all of the words, a regular story
time builds an appreciation of reading.
When you read to your young child, be enthusiastic and animated. Let your voice
reflect the excitement, anxiety, or sadness of the characters. Show that you
enjoy reading.
Try to involve your child in the story. Point to pictures and ask your child what
they are and what they have to do with the story. Ask what your child thinks will
happen next.
Afterward, discuss the story and challenge your older child with other questions.
You might ask how your child would feel if he or she were one of the characters in
the story, or what your child would have done in a certain situation described in
the book. Ask why he or she would do that, and what might happen as a result.
Also, try to create an enriching environment at home. Have books around the house,
make them accessible, and give them as gifts.
Remember, children may not want to read every time you do. Go with the flow, and
try again another time.
These steps may seem simple, and they are. But they help children enjoy reading
and develop skills along the way to becoming accomplished readers.
This column is written by Robert B. McCall, Co-Director of the
Office of Child Development and Professor of Psychology, and is provided as a
public service by the Frank and Theresa Caplan Fund for Early Childhood Development
and Parenting Education.