Literacy in the LibraryTOOLS FOR INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME LIFELONG READERS AND LEARNERS |
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Dads Read!January/February 2009Yes, guys read. Your kids are watching you and modeling their behavior based on what they see you do. Find a great book, magazine, instruction manual or annual report and bury your nose in it! Your children will want to do what you are doing. Dads and moms are a child’s first teachers. Helping kids to become speakers, listeners, readers and writers are the goals of every parent. Dads are an important part of the team. What are some strategies you can use to lay the foundation for your kids? Talk, talk and talk some more. Children need to hear as many words as possible; there are about 850,000 words in the English language and that number is growing every day. Use every opportunity to talk with your child – while getting her up in the morning, while changing his diapers, while feeding her, while dressing him, while bathing him and while putting her to bed. Kids who arrive at school with the biggest vocabularies will become the most proficient readers. Besides talking, singing is a very important experience to share with your children. You may not be a rock star, but you are a star to your kids! You may not sing on key, but your children love singing with you. How about “Old MacDonald” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”? Any familiar songs are perfect because of the rhyming words, or make up your own songs! If singing is not easy, chanting or rapping the words to a song will work. The important thing is to use language! Reading to your kids builds vocabulary. While making pancakes with your son, show him the recipe you are using to create his breakfast. Do you repair your car? Show your daughter the instructions you are reading to help you choose the tools you will need. When you read a newspaper, share a cartoon or a funny story you find. Are you catching a bus to go to the movies? The bus schedule is another tool to read. The vocabulary your child learns from these experiences will build the word bank they need as future readers. Need some suggestions for some great read aloud books? Ask your friendly neighborhood librarian for suggestions of their favorite read aloud titles. Resources for dads who read or want to learn more about reading to their children: Web Sites: By Susan Oakes, Outreach Librarian, Central Children's Library, The Denver Public Library
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