Raising a Reader

My work with Parents as Teachers (PAT) in recent years has

shown me that with encouragement and guidance parents,

even those with low skills, enjoy reading to their children,

and so jump starting their emerging literacy. PAT parent

educators promote reading to infants and toddlers to help

them become school ready. Here’s a checklist from the

Beginnings Parent’s Guide for child aged 16-18 months.

Use it in a reflective conversation with a parent about

supporting child development. When a parent checks most

of the boxes, she is giving her toddler a great gift, a taste

for learning. Praise her for being a good teacher.

It’s never too early or too late to start reading to a child

and encouraging them to “read” for fun. This is my

granddaughter Samantha at about 8 months . She spent

her first year in my office as a “Research Assistant”. Her

favorite book was the supplies catalog.

Are you Raising a Reader?

[ ] I read to my child in a special cozy place that he likes.

[ ] I show him pictures and ask questions that make him

think, like Where is the cat? Where is our cat?

[ ] I change my voice to show feelings. I make animal noises and

use a different voice for each actor in the story.

[ ] Baby enjoys the books we read. I let him choose. He likes to

read the same one over and over.

[ ] I watch how my child responds to the story and follow his lead.

He sets the pace and turns the pages.

[ ] I tie ideas in the story to things he knows and sees.

“There is a red ball just like yours.”

Are parents in your state reading to their little ones?

You can see what proportion of parents in your state read to their

children daily in Zero To Three’s Baby Facts. In my state, Washington,

its 61%.