We cannot underestimate the importance and need for children to read at home, particularly during the summer months.  While we typically think of stories being read, there are a wide variety of other materials especially suited for reading at home.  These materials are easily accessible, can be read in short spurts and can easily fit into the nature of life at home.

Environmental Print

          Words are all around us - on street signs, billboards, bumper stickers, airports, buses, stores, food labels, restaurants, etc.  Pointing out and reading the words in a child's natural surroundings are great ways to develop their early letter skills and build sight word recognition.  You may also want to display the words on the refrigerator and read through them periodically.

Lists

          As adults, we make and read lists all the time - to-do lists, grocery lists, wish lists, lists of ingredients, best-seller list, etc.  Read your lists to and with your child and have your child create and read their own lists to you.

Rhymes & Poems

          Short rhymes and poems are ideal for children because they are easy to learn, fun to read again and again, and help develop rhyming and fluency skills.  Make reading a favorite poem to and with your child a daily routine.

Songs

          When children can have a copy of the song they are singing in front of them, they are reading text that is short and highly predictable.  Because of that, songs are among the best for developing children's fluency and word recognition skills.  Click here for a website that provides lyrics to classic old songs.

Newspapers and Magazines

         With the newspaper, children can read about current events through the main stories, read critically and analyze in the opinion and editorial section, be introduced to graphic text and novels in the comic section, read brief biographies in the obituary section, read reviews of sporting events and movies, and play with words in the puzzle section.

                Mail           

          It is easy to transform the daily mail into opportunities to read and write with children.  Go through the mail together, sort into appropriate piles, then read through selected items.

Technology

          Technology offers many opportunities to read and write together, from word processing programs to websites that explore words and language for children to special programs designed to help children become better readers.  Encourage the use of e-mail to correspond with others.  When watching television, have the captions turned on so children can match the voice to print.

Remember, reading is reading no matter what the reading material is.  Choose one or two of these suggestions and make it part of your daily routine.  The more a child reads, the better reader that child will become! 

Adapted from Rasinski, T., & Padak, N. (2008, April). Beyond Stories. The Reading Teacher, 61(7), 582–584. doi: 10.1598/RT.61.7.9