Make a Reading Resolution

As 2013 comes to and end and we anticipate a shiny new year, resolves to read more--with your family.  Make time for reading aloud with your young children, and even for a regular story hour with your whole family. It is a wonderful way to feel closer and also spread the message that reading is a joyful experience.

Check out this wonderful article by Pam Allyn, Director of LitWorld and LitLife, two organizations committed to literacy.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/litlife/201312/five-transformational-family-resolutions-the-new-year

Happy and healthy new year to you and your family!

Wind Down and Read

If you are lucky enough to have some time off from work, your children home from school, and a little free time, use it to read with your young child.

Find some quiet spot to curl up with your preschooler, and enjoy a favorite story book, or a brand new book that was a holiday gift. Seize those precious moments and forget about the shopping and cooking and pressures of the season. It will do you good! And it will help your young child feel the familiar comfort of reading together during what can be a hectic time.

Author! Author!

If your child really, really enjoys a book, do some research. Find out if the author of her favorite book has written other books. If so, get your hands on them. Do a search and find photos or biographical information about the author. Many authors have their own websites so it is easy-breezy to get the facts. Show your child the sites and talk about the author and his or her life.

This pursuit helps children understand that books are written by real people who have ideas and feelings and they lead their own lives . . . that might include their own family and perhaps even some pets. 

You are teaching your preschooler that books are the creations of real people who come up with ideas and then share them in the form of a book. You are teaching her to respect the creative process and to understand that books come from people—not just libraries and bookstores! This will help your child gain appreciation for the writing process as well as the idea of authorship. And it might just inspire your budding writer to think about sharing her own ideas