Take Your Child to the Moon and Beyond — With Reading!

By Lindsday Dunckel, First 5 Nevada County

Printed in the Family Post: Fall Issue 2007

An enchanted forest, a princess’ palace, the rocky surface of the moon … children can visit the most amazing places when they read books with their parents and caregivers. Not only is reading fun, research shows young children who spend time reading with their families enter kindergarten better prepared. In honor of National Literacy Month, First 5 Nevada County, along with the U.S. Department of Education, offers the following tips to help parents and caregivers read with their children. With these tips, children will soon be saying: READ TO ME.

• Read aloud: Read aloud with your child to help stimulate his or her mind, develop verbal skills and build vocabulary.

• Encourage early learning: Children begin learning the day they are born. It is never too early to start reading together.

• Ask questions: Engage your child by asking questions that relate to the story you are reading together. Ask your child to point to certain colors or objects and have him or her follow along by pointing to words as you read aloud.

• Decide to read daily: Studies have shown that children who are read to daily begin to develop both communication and thinking skills at a much younger age. Commit to reading together every day to help your child develop the skills necessary to enter school more prepared.

• Take a trip to the library: Visit your local library for a free way to read and enjoy the latest book titles. Involve your child by letting him or her choose the books you read together.

• Offer age-appropriate books: The types of books you choose should increase in difficulty as your child ages. For babies and toddlers, begin with books that have brightly-colored, simple pictures and feature familiar names and objects. As your child approaches preschool age, read books with more complex words, repetition and rhyme.

• Make reading fun: Help instill a love of reading in your child by making reading fun. Take reading beyond the book by writing (and reading) your own story together or acting out scenes from your favorite book.

• Enjoy reading everywhere: Show your child that the joy of reading is not limited to books. For example, challenge your child to read street signs and billboards while driving, or read labels and store signs aloud while grocery shopping.

First 5 Nevada County encourages all parents and caregivers to read with their children. For more information on local story times and early literacy classes, please visit the events calendar.

ABOUT FIRST 5 NEVADA COUNTY Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a meaningful impact throughout life. Based on this research, California voters passed Proposition 10 in 1998, adding a 50 cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to support programs for expectant parents and children ages 0 to 5. First 5 Nevada County distributes approximately $700,000 a year in Prop. 10 revenues to programs and services that meet local needs.

Lindsay Dunckel, Ph.D. and Grass Valley mother of two, is the Program Coordinator for Parent Support and Education for First 5 Nevada County.