• Home
  • Shop
    • Dr. Seuss Book Club
    • Disney Book Club
    • Baby Einstein Book Club
    • Sesame Street Book Club
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • My Page

Enriching Young Minds

  • New Parent
    • Brain Development
    • Health & Nutrition
    • Sleep & Self Care
    • Milestones
  • School Readiness
    • Getting Started
    • Social & Emotional Life
    • Family & Community
    • Milestones
  • Reading Lifestyle
    • Parenting Tips
    • Making a Difference
    • Fun, Food & Games
    • Milestones
  • Learn to Read
    • Common Challenges
    • Learning Styles
    • Smart Strategies
    • Milestones

Celebrate Read Across America Day: Printable ‘Tips for Raising a Reader’

March 1, 2016 by Jamie Levinthal Leave a Comment

Celebrate Read Across America Day

Celebrate Read Across America Day with Tips for Raising a Reader

This is a big week for literacy! We celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday AND Read Across America Day on Wednesday March 2nd. The National Education Association declared March 2nd the first annual Read Across America day in 1998, and it has been gathering steam since! The task force that originally came up with the idea thought,

“We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don’t we do something to get kids excited about reading? We’ll call it ‘NEA’s Read Across America’ and we’ll celebrate it on Dr. Seuss’s birthday.”

Read more about the history of Read Across America Day and how to get involved.

This week, schools nationwide, home schools, libraries, day cares and community centers will celebrate Read Across America day and Dr. Seuss’s birthday in creative ways. As you join in the celebration, remember that raising a reader is a year-round commitment! Here are some tips for making reading a priority in your household or classroom. You can print this PDF and hang it on the wall as a colorful reminder of some of the ways parents and teachers can encourage a lifelong love of reading in children.

10 Tips for Raising a Reader

1. Bring out your inner actor.

Rather than flatly reciting the words on the page, incorporate different accents for the characters. Add drama with theatrical hand gestures, build anticipation by including pauses, and let the emotions of the story register on your face.

2. Encourage interaction.

When reading to your child, pause every now and then to ask questions about the story, wonder aloud about alternate endings, or propose new character names.

3. Talk about books.

The benefits of reading to children don’t have to stop after you’ve closed the book. After sharing a story together, bring it up in conversation throughout the day. Compare a real-life event to something that happened in the book, or ask how your child thinks a certain character would handle a specific situation.

4. Introduce books in new scenarios.

Why wait until bedtime to pull out a book? For babies and toddlers,  bath times and meal times provide great opportunities for enjoying a story. Car trips are another perfect opportunity to bring out the books.

5. Consider joining a book club for children.

With the overwhelming number of kids’ books on the market, it can seem like a daunting task to select the ones that are right for your child. When you join a book club for children, you’ll receive hand-picked titles tailored to your kids’ ages and interests.

6. Explore reading resources for children.

The internet offers an abundance of children’s websites with creative ideas for promoting early literacy, fun literacy games and reading tools for children.

7. Encourage reading outside of books.

Throughout a typical day,  there are hundreds of opportunities to recognize words and phrases. Challenge your child to find new mediums for reading, whether it’s a billboard, newspaper, cereal box or storefront sign. This will help your child grasp the significance of reading in the real world and give him a chance to apply what he’s learned.

8. Introduce your own childhood favorites.

Remember those timeless classics you couldn’t get enough of as a kid? Bring them back into the limelight by reading them to your own child. Your excitement for those old beloved stories is sure to rub off on your little one.

9. Volunteer your reading services.

If your child is of school age (or even in daycare), reading aloud to his class is an excellent way to foster his love of books and to demonstrate your support and commitment to his reading success. Most daycare centers, preschools and elementary schools welcome parent volunteers.

10. Take field trips to the library.

The library is an invaluable reading resource. Many libraries feature designated story hours, where a librarian reads selections aloud to a targeted age group. Check with your local branch for more activities to promote reading.

boy reading at the library

The importance of reading to children can’t be disputed. By utilizing literacy resources for children, incorporating books as part of your child’s everyday routine, and looking for creative ways to promote reading, you’ll be giving your youngster a head start toward academic success and a rich, vivid imagination.

Happy Read Across America Week!

Filed Under: Family & Community, Learn to Read, Making a Difference, New Parent, Parenting Tips, Reading Lifestyle, Smart Strategies Tagged With: celebration, dr seuss birthday, learn to read, learning to read, literacy, love reading, march 2, national education association, NEA, RAA, raising readers, Read Across America, readers, reading, tips for parents



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

connect with us

email newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and find out what's going on with us!

QUIZ

Dr. Seuss Who Said It?

Take this quiz to find out how well you know your Dr. Seuss quotes.

LET'S GET STARTED

Your Score!

 

 

TAKE OUR LATEST POLL

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

SURVEY

  1. Which Dr. Seuss Character Are You?
  2. Are You A Helicopter Parent?
  3. ......More
a little about us

Julie Temple Stan

julie

Reading advocate. A cappella geek. Sleep-deprived mommy. Editorial Director.
follow @ KidBookMommy.

Jamie Levinthal

Jamie

Brand-new mama. Trained K-6 teacher. Sucker for the outdoors and vintage everything. Champion of all things reading.

Elizabeth Cook Babbin

Elizabeth

Reading Specialist. Mom. Cheerleader for kids. Doctoral candidate. Lifelong learner.

Celia Behar

Celia

Envelope pusher. Therapist. Writer. Bourbon lover. Lil' Mama.
follow@Therstar @Thelilmamas www.thelilmamas.com

More Bloggers...

Cynthia Stierle

Cynthia

Hiker. Dog lover. Book reader. Clutter keeper. Beach goer. Drama mama. Writer.

Dottie Enrico

Dottie

Book lover. Norwich Terrier owner. Iris Apfel devotee. World-class coffee drinker.

Miranda Daniloff

Miranda

Wife, Mom & Stepmom. Reader. Writer. Blogger. www.beyondworklifebalance.com

Melissa A. Kay

Melissa

Writer. Truth seeker. Fitness devotee. Food and wine enthusiast. Companion. Feline fanatic.

Laurie Petersen

Laurie

Explorer. Writer. Editor. Absurdity seer. Recovering nag.
follow@lauriepete

Geri Coleman Tucker

Geri_Coleman

Journalist. Soprano. Struggling clarinet player. Disability advocate. Travel enthusiast. Jack Reacher fan.

  • Home
  • Shop
    • Dr. Seuss Book Club
    • Disney Book Club
    • Baby Einstein Book Club
    • Sesame Street Book Club
    • Hooked on Phonics apps
    • Hooked on Phonics Products
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • My Page

© 2016 Sandvik Publishing, Danbury, CT, 06810. All rights reserved.