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5. When reading to a baby, be brief but read often.
As you read to your baby, your child is forming an
association between books and what is most loved -- your voice
and closeness. Allowing babies to handle books deepens their
attachment even more.
R and R: Repetition and Rhyme
Repetition makes books predictable, and young readers love
knowing what comes next.
What you'll need
Books with repeated phrases*
Short rhyming poems
* A few favorites are: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible.
No Good , Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst; Brown Bear, Brown
Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.; Horton Hatches
the Egg by Dr. Seuss; and The Little Engine That Could by
Watty Piper. There are many good booklists that highlight
those books with repetitive refrains. (See the resources
section.)
What to do
1. Pick a story with repeated phrases or a poem you and your
child like.
2. For example, read:
Wolf Voice: Little pig, little pig,
Let me come in.
Little Pig: Not by the hair on my
chinny-chin-chin.
Wolf Voice: Then I'll huff and I'll puff,
And I'll blow your house in!
After the wolf has blown down the first pig's house, your
child will soon join in with the refrain.
3. Read slowly, and with a smile or a nod, let your children
know you appreciate their participation.
4. As children grow more familiar with the story, pause and
give them the chance to "fill in the blanks."
5. Encourage your children to pretend to read, especially
books that contain repetition and rhyme. Most children who
enjoy reading will eventually memorize all or parts of a
book and imitate your reading.
When youngsters anticipate what's coming next in a story
or poem, they have a sense of mastery over books. When children
feel power, they have the courage to try. Pretending to read is
an important step in the process of learning to read.
Poetry in Motion
When children act out a good poem, they love its rhyme,
rhythm, and the pictures it paints with a few well-chosen
words. They grow as readers by connecting emotion with the
written word.
What you'll need
Poems that rhyme, tell a story, and are written from a child's
point of view
What to do
1. Read a poem slowly to your child, and bring all your
dramatic talents to the reading. (In other words, ham it
up.)
2. If there is a poem your child is particularly fond of,
suggest acting out a favorite line. Be sure to award such
efforts with delighted enthusiasm.
3. Then suggest acting out a verse, a stanza, or the entire
poem. Ask your child to make a face of the way the
character in the poem is feeling. Remember that facial
expressions bring emotion into the performer's voice.
4. Again, be an enthusiastic audience for your child.
Applause is always nice.
5. If your child is comfortable with the idea, look for a
larger setting with an attentive, appreciative audience.
Perhaps an after-dinner "recital" for family members would
appeal to your child.
6. Mistakes are a fact of life, so ignore them.
Poems are often short with lots of white space on the
page. This makes them manageable for new readers and helps to
build their confidence.
Read to Me
It's important to read to your children, but equally
important to listen to them read to you. Children thrive on
having someone appreciate their developing skills.
What you'll need
Books at your child's reading level
What to do
1. Listen attentively as your child reads.
2. Take turns. You read a paragraph and have your child read
the next one. As your child becomes more at ease with
reading aloud, take turns reading a full page. Keep in
mind that your child may be focusing on how to read, and
your reading helps to keep the story alive.
3. If your children have trouble reading words, you can help
in several ways.
* Tell them to skip over the word, read the rest of the
sentence, and ask what word would make sense in the story.
* Help them use what they know about letters and sounds.
* Supply the correc
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