Three Easy Steps to Raise a Reader:
1. Read Early and Often
Reading aloud to young children is the most important factor in developing skills and a love of reading. Researchers recommend that you begin reading aloud to your child at birth and continue through the elementary years.
2. Provide a Rich Mixture of Early Learning Experiences
The experiences children have in the first three years of life have a huge impact on how the brain develops. A child’s ability to learn - and to become a successful reader - is based on the quality of these early experiences. Story book reading, conversation, and word games all help brain cells develop.
3. Visit the Library Often
The library offers a wide variety of services, materials, and programs that support early reading including:
- Board books, picture books, early readers, book and recorded book sets that you can read and enjoy together;
- Interactive and educational programs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers that use songs, rhymes, and games help develop reading readiness skills.
- Educational programs for parents that explain how reading skills develop and how to do fun learning activities with your child.