Parents' Corner A Parent's Calendar for Language/Reading Development Reading Services Center

Parents, did you know that YOU are probably the most important ingredient in children's language and reading development? When you talked to infants and toddlers as you bathed, fed, and clothed them, you were actually teaching oral language. The children were listening to you; and from what they heard, they began to formulate sounds, then words, and finally sentences. But what about reading? How can you help children make the transition from speaking to reading?

Since children want to be like their parents, they naturally strive to learn from you. In order to understand reading, it is important that children hear a variety of words in language patterns and in books. They should be encouraged to talk as often as possible to improve their ability to understand how words and sentences fit together. It is important to read to children daily and ask questions about the stories that require a sentence answer. Questions that need only a yes/no answer do not build language skills nor will they help children move from speech to reading.

To help develop your child's language/reading skills, here are thirty ideas to try. You can pick and choose these activities according to what you think would be fun for your child. Do one every day, one or two a week, or any way that will fit into your busy schedule.

30 DAYS TO MORE CREATIVE PARENTING

1. Mother Goose Day - Read nursery rhymes and have the child recite the verses with you. If your child is older, discuss some of the words in the rhymes; e.g. "tuffet", "curds and whey", etc. Let your child pick a favorite rhyme and read or tell it to you.
   
   
2. Family Read-a-Thon - Turn off the television for one hour and have the whole family read something of interest. You may want to read stories together during this time.
   
   
3. Gift Giving Day - Give an interesting book to your child.
   
   
4. Vocabulary Day - Have each family member find a word to discuss at dinner time. They can be words from television, books, magazines or from words heard.
   
   
5. TV Discussion Day - Watch a television program with your child and discuss what the show was about. Was it a good show? Why?
   
   
6. Popcorn Party - Pop some popcorn and eat the popcorn as the family reads.
   
   
7. Comedy/Humor Day - Find some joke books or humorous books in the public library and read them with your child.
   
   
8. Library Day - Take your child to the public library to pick out some books to read.
   
   
9. Book Sharing Day - Have the whole family share the last book or article they read. Let each child ask you questions about your book/article.
   
   
10. Mystery Day - Choose a mystery to read to your child. Stop every so often and talk about the clues that may solve the mystery. See if your child solves the mystery before the end of the story.
    
    
11. Family Trip - Take a walk with your family or go for a drive. Then have everyone write what they saw on the trip and share what they wrote.
    
    
12. Grandparent's Day - Have your child read a book to grandparents or other close relatives.
    
    
13. Note Day - Write notes to family members during the day. Put a note in a lunch box. Have individuals answer you in writing.
    
    
14. Letter Writing Day - Have your child write a letter to a friend or relative. You may want to have your child dictate the letter to you.
    
    
15. Fantasy Day - Read a fantasy story to your child. Ask why the story can not be true.
    
    
16. Storytelling Day - Ask the members in your family to tell a story to each other before they go to bed. It can be a story from a book or a made up one.
    
    
17. Family Diary - Start a family diary and have all members write in the book each day telling one important event that happened. You may need to have your child dictate the sentences to you.
    
    
18. Story Sequel Day - Have your child write a sequel to a story you read together. Discuss how he/she decided what to write in the sequel.
    
    
19. Round Robin Writing - Create a story by writing the first sentence, then pass the story to another family member who should add a line to the story. Continue passing the story around until the story is completed.
    
    
20. Recipe Day - Find a recipe that is a favorite of your child's and ask him/her to read the directions to you as you follow the steps to make the special recipe. Talk about what you needed to do and "why".
    
    
21. Mistake Day - Read a book aloud and purposely make mistakes as you read. Have your child listen for the mistakes and tell you why they don't make sense.
    
    
22. Newspaper Day - Have your child cut words from the newspaper and compose a note that tells how the day went.
    
    
23. Picture Day - Find some family pictures or magazine pictures and have your child write what the picture is all about. Discuss what was written.
    
    
24. Sports Day - Read a book about sports or an athlete fairy tale to your child. Discuss the sport or the person's life.
    
    
25. Prediction Day - Read a story aloud and leave out words every so often. Have your child tell you a word that would make sense in the sentence.
    
    
26. Shared Reading Day - Have your whole family begin reading a book together. Take turns reading the book out loud. Also, take turns asking questions about the story; e.g. What do you think will happen next? Why did __________ do what he/she did? etc.
    
    
27. TV Note-taking Day - Have your child watch a television show for you and take notes to use when telling you about the show.
    
    
28. Finish the Story Day - Read a story together and leave off the ending. Let your child decide how the story should end. Then read the ending and compare.
    
    
29. Adventure Day - Read an adventure book to your child and have him/her act out the adventures in the book. Which adventure seemed to be the most scary? the most exciting? the most fun? etc.
    
    
30. Weather Day - Have your child listen to the radio in the morning for the day's forecast. Discuss what the temperature means. What kind of clothes would be best for the day? Will it be fun to play outside? What kind of temperature does your child like best? (cold/warm/hot) Why?