Ann Pike

Read to your child. Sit together in a comfortable place. Read the story aloud to your child, pointing to the words as you read. You are modeling fluent reading. Encourage talk and questions about the story such as, “Whose eyes do you think are watching the dragonflies. Lets turn the page to find out.”

Read with your child. After your child is familiar with the pattern and rhythm of the story, encourage your child to read with you. This is choral reading and it is a starting place for your child to engage in reading. Continue to point to the words as you read. Do not be concerned if your child misses words here and there.

Listen to your child read. Encourage you child to read parts of the story alone, while you fill in the rest. Gradually allow your child to take over more and more of the reading. Offer lots of praise. If your child stumbles on a word, wait a second or two and then simply say the word.

Do an activity. Each time you do an activity as suggested in the following pages, make sure you have read the story with your child, once or twice just for pleasure. Only do two or three activities per reading, each from different categories. Choose the activities that are best suited for your child and/or the suggested age found in parenthesis at the end of each activity.