Readers for life

• 3754

  2009-06-04 09:22:21 UTC

  Familiar Reading

  We started our daughter with one set of books -Playschool ABC- and read them repeatedly as these contain songs we taught and sung to her, that she later heard on ABC's playschool. This familiarity helped her associate reading with fun and this also had the benefit of teaching her not to be embarrassed about singing.

  - Gerald (Dad of 1), Upper Mt Gravatt
  Give it a Star* 4

• 3733

  2009-04-14 11:53:13 UTC
  We keep books everywhere. In the car, the pram, the lounge room, our son’s bedroom. There are even books next to the potty! This means at any given time we can grab a book to share. We read the same ones over and over, until we know them off by heart. This allows our son to 'read' the book himself.

  - Kate (Mum of 1), Liverpool
  Give it a Star* 3

• 3718

  2009-03-18 09:30:59 UTC
  A baby is never too young to be read to, make reading books part of their bed time routine. We started reading to our son at 2 months. He has always loved books, and will often ask for more.

  - Vanessa (Mum of 1), Figtree
  Give it a Star* 4

• 3703

  2009-02-24 00:24:45 UTC
  A reading program called Your Baby Can Read is a great investment, especially given that 95% of your child’s brain develops in the first 5 years. Six months ago we started our precious daughter on this program which includes DVD's Books and Flash Cards. For example - we show her the word in the book and say the word twice pointing from left to right and then lift the flap to show the picture. The DVD has the word, then shows a picture of that word plus has songs throughout the DVD making it fun. She can read and speak about 20 words but recognises about 40 words at 14mnths. She can say simple words and recognises them such as ball, toes, wave and hi. She recognises words such as tiger, blanket and bubbles. She roars when she sees the word tiger (so cute I must say) and grabs her blanket, points to her mouth, nose and ears when she sees these words. I must say I was quite surprised that from day 1 she was fascinated with them. When the DVD comes on she smiles and claps her hands and now even points to the books or DVDs so she can read/watch them. She will be able to read before she goes to school; what a great start for her.

  - Alanna (Mum of 1), Modbury
  Give it a Star* 2

• 3699

  2009-02-17 00:31:30 UTC
  Never deny your child the opportunity to read a book. I always try to stop & listen to my child when either of them wants a book read to them. I mean TOTALLY stop what I’m doing (if possible) & sit down & read the chosen book together with no distractions (TV, computer, radio etc). My kids love my undivided attention too!

  - deb (Mum of 2), Penrith
  Give it a Star* 2

• 3609

  2008-12-04 12:34:19 UTC
  Books are the only thing in our house that is not a luxury. When my boys and I go shopping, we always pop into a bookstore or section and they are allowed to choose one book each. We save it for that night at bedtime, and we make silly voices, let them guess what happens next, and at the end of the story, I snap the book shut when they least expect it, and they dissolve into giggles of surprise and anticipation. My sons are at different ages, so it is important to let them each choose a book they like, and respect the others choice. It is our favourite time of the day, and my husband and I either take turns to give the other a break, or we all crowd around in our bed for story time and carry them off to their beds afterwards. Don't be afraid to be silly and let go! It is also a great time to introduce books such as "words are not for hurting" and "manners", so you allow your kids to think about the story without being 'preachy', and ask them what they thought about the story, or what their fav picture was, or who their fav character in the story was. I can see in my boys eyes that they feel special with story time, as they have no competition from phones, TV, chores etc. It is just us :)

  - Joanne (Mum of 2), Chermside
  Give it a Star* 6

• 3539

  2008-11-23 07:17:22 UTC
  I make learning to read and spell fun by writing words on cardboard and cutting them out, I then get my boy to close his eyes while I hide them around the house. He loves finding them and when he does he has to tell me what the word is, write it down without looking then make up a sentence with that word in it. For older kids you can then get them to put the words in alphabetical order. My boys love this game.

  - Bridget (Mum of 1), Chatswood
  Give it a Star* 5

• 3514

  2008-11-18 06:24:50 UTC
  My son is hooked on Charlie and Lola so we recorded just the sound from the DVD and created our own CD audio book. As he listens to the story his imagination is being stimulated as well as getting a break from the TV.

  - Rachael (Mum of 2), Airport West
  Give it a Star* 3

• 3503

  2008-11-15 09:31:30 UTC
  The key to getting kids to love reading is to make their story time fun. Be sure to use lots of funny voices and sounds. Even get your kids to dress up and act out some of the parts! My son and I even pretend to be some of the main characters of the books when we are chatting! Also if they see you reading and enjoying it that helps!

  - Beatrice (Mum of 2), Tuggerah
  Give it a Star* 5

• 3476

  2008-11-10 03:05:48 UTC
  For car trips I get audio books from the library. It stops the squabbling and extends their literacy. It’s a great way to introduce them to long chapter books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which they can't sit still long enough to listen to me read at home.

  - Jane (Mum of 2), Chatswood
  Give it a Star* 8