I have been reviewing some old posts and came across one from Literacy News listing 3 ways parents can help a struggling reader. The article suggests:

1. Parental Involvement 

2. Get Expert Advice

3. Encourage Reading at Home

The article seems to indicate they are listed in priority or sequential order, but it seems that focusing on 1 & 3 early should reduce the need for the second.

I understand the need for professional assistance in some cases, but also believe parents have a tremendous amount of control (and responsibility) over the literacy of their children.

Read early and often!

Literacy News recently posted an article on the importance of family literacy goals.

The article starts with an alarming statistic that ”54 percent of American parents do not take the time out to read stories to their children.”  It then defines a family literacy goal as an ”activity in which the family sets certain goals aimed at improving their writing and reading abilities.” 

The posting also lists a few methods to use in setting family literacy goals, including:

1) Reading books- Book goals are set to keep track of reading progress. This can either be an individual activity or a family activity.

2) Word games- This is a very popular method in setting literacy goals. Word games help nurture literacy in the families while having fun. “Using scores to measure the different members progress is a great way of using word games to set family literacy goals.”

The article concludes by listing why setting family literacy goals is important:

a) Gives clarity in achieving your target.

b) The first step towards achieving the goal of literacy is goal setting.

c) Also provides a great bonding opportunity for the family.

d) Setting goals together also helps in developing commitment.

e) Literacy goal setting also helps develop different abilities.

First, I think it is a wonderful idea to set formal literacy goals for your family and had not previously consider the value of this approach. In addition, the approach and suggested activities sound like a fun way to bring the family closer together, while working towards combined literacy goals.

Good stuff!

I have been intending to comment on a Literacy News article  by children’s book author Joseph Kehoe that was posted in February. There are actually two aspects to the article that I wanted to share.

1. The article lists some interesting quotes and disturbing statistics:

• “Reading opens doors. Not reading slams those doors shut.”
• “More than 70 percent of inmates have limited literacy skills. So many non-readers wind up in jail, in fact, that many states use 4th grade reading scores to help calculate future prison needs.”
• “Reading in elementary school is really that important. There’s nothing more important. Everything else is a distant second. Everything.”
• “schools remain full of reluctant readers…and statistics show that the problem is getting worse.”
• “The National Center for Education Statistics reports that fewer than 30 percent of 4th graders nationwide read at a proficient level”
• “In an age of enormous advances, reading skills are actually declining.”

2. Joseph provides suggestions for reaching the reluctant readers in your life:

      Interesting Content: Children need to read things that interest them.

      Plenty of Time for Reading: Schedule reading time every day.

      No Genre Hating: We all have personal preferences, but it’s critical to keep our eyes on the prize – getting kids to read is the goal. Having students share our particular passion for this or that book is not. Within reason, let students read what they want.

      Reading Comes in All Forms: It’s important to remember that reading material comes in all forms. Comics, graphic novels, and web sites are just a few examples where kids can go for interesting reading material.

      Read Aloud: By reading aloud, adults can transmit the excitement of reading to children.

I hope you will use these suggestions and other methods to help reverse the negative trends outlined in the article. Happy reading!

Literacy News recently posted an article by Carolea Williams outlining an approach for creating your own ABC book. The article highlights how sharing the experience with children can build early literacy skills…plus it just sounds fun!

The recommended steps include:

STEP 1: Choose a Theme
The article uses types of transportation as an example, but we could easily do one for fruits & vegetables, animals, or a variety of other topics. 

STEP 2: Brainstorm a List 
Allow the children to brainstorm a list of items and offer ideas. This sounds like a fun, interactive step. You could cut out pictures of each item or just cut up tasting samples for our example.  This will help with associations and build vocabulary as you begin creating the book. For example:

A=apple, apricot
B=banana, bok choy
C=carrot, cucumber
D=date, dandelion greens
E=Eggplant
F=figs, fava beans
G=grapes
…
Z=zucchini

STEP 3: Create a Template 
The article emphasizes the importance of this step in converting your book from simple ABC pages into a read-aloud interactive book. She recommends creating a template with sight words leaving blanks for the letters and words that begin with the corresponding beginning sound.

___ is for _____.
What colors do you see?
___ is for _____.
Does it grow on a tree?

You can use the template to create fill-in pages that offer opportunities to write letters and words. You can also leave space for drawing pictures to illustrate their choices.

A is for apple.
What colors do you see?

B is for banana.
Does it grow on a tree?

C is for carrot .
What colors do you see?

D is for date.
Does it grow on a tree?

Depending on the specific child and the topic/template chosen, you may want to provide assistance as they fill in the pages. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for interactive learning. When the pages are ready, they can be compiled in ABC order to create an entire book.  

This sounds like a great learning opportunity and a perfect way to increase interest in books and reading. They (and you) will be very proud of their book!

A recent article by Jeanette McLeod includes some interesting ways to get your kids reading.

There are some great ideas included and some of my favorites include:

• let your child see you reading
• encourage your child to join in – ask them to read out a recipe for you as you cook, etc.
• Play at the shops. Get them to help you reading your shopping list.
• Play in the car. Parents can ask their child to look at maps, road signs, and even roadside billboards in search of specific letters.
• Make a family photo album and write the names and places next to the pictures.
• Make your own books! Kids will love to read books they have written over and over again

I hope you have an opportunity to try some of the ideas listed in the article or make up some fun ideas of your own.

We spend considerable time on this site talking about literacy, but have not approached a very important aspect – financial literacy.

This is a difficult topic for children and parents often wonder how to begin the conversation. However, it is extremely important to start young and educate your children on the importance of personal finance and the impact of their financial decisions.

As a result, I thought it may help to highlight a few resources and pointers to consider:

• Dave Ramsey has a variety of educational tools designed specifically for children - http://www.daveramsey.com/store/cKIDS3TO13-p1.html
• I recently read a review of a book titled Pretty Penny Sets Up Shop. It sounds like this book may help introduce some valuable concepts in a fun and casual way.  



• For those with limited funds to purchase materials, I have found the most important resource for your child’s financial success is YOU.
  • Your children watch how you handle money very carefully, so set a good example
  • Allow your children to participate in conversations and decisions about money
    1. Why are you saving money and how much?
    2. How do you decide what to purchase?
    3. Share your views on giving and charity
  • You can instill your values on money and work ethic by establishing a system of jobs for your children
    1. I would suggest using terms like jobs and commission, rather than chores and allowance
    2. Build a simple job sheet with $ amounts assigned for each task
    3. If you have children of various ages and abilities, provide opportunities for everyone to participate
    4. Be consistent about pay day to properly link work and reward
    5. Help them make 3 envelopes – Give, Save, Spend – and communicate your values on how the money should be divided each week
    6. Don’t be afraid to “fire” your children if they are not consistently completing jobs or lose interest
    7. Find an appropriate way for them to earn the jobs back over time

While financial literacy is a difficult topic for adults and children alike, it is a crucial step to ensure your childrens’ future independence and success.

I hope this initial information is beneficial. Please comment with any additional information or resources you would like to share.

Literacy News recently posted an article by Barbara Denver discussing the importance of questions in developing literacy. The topics covered include:

1. Speaking and talking are very important aspects of literacy activities
2. ‘WHY’ questions and how they improve ability 
3. Understanding the types of questions that will benefit your kids
4. The impact on learning and enthusiasm for learning.
5. The fact that questions focus the mind

As stated in the article, “Involving yourself in literacy activities for kids is easy because you are an expert at questions.”

I thought it was an interesting read.

An interesting article from Literacy News recently discussed the diminished role of reading in society.

The article starts by discussing the benefits of reading and the issues contributing to lack of reading in children and adults. It continues with several suggestions to instill a love of reading at an early age. These include:

• Less TV 
• Suggest Books That Would Interest The Child  
• Do Not Push Too Hard – If you try to force children to read, or if you otherwise pressure them to much, you will make them dislike reading.
• Teach Children To Read Well – People like to do what they do well.

While these may sound like common sense, it seems that we could use a few solid reminders based on current reading trends.

Literacy News recently posted 10 tips for helping your child learn to read.

The tips included:

1. Read with and to Children Regularly
2. Let Children Explore Books Alone
3. Show Confidence in the Child’s Abilities
4. Avoid Expressing Worry About the Child’s Progress
5. Encourage Children to Read to Others
6. Have Realistic Expectations
7. Avoid Rushing a Reading Session
8. Provide Reading and Writing Opportunities
9. Provide Appropriate Reading Materials
10. Nip Problems in the Bud

The article provides additional detail on each suggestion and I really like the mix of advice.

Check it out!

I am way behind on some of the information I wanted to provide, so I will try to rectify that situation this week.

Several weeks ago the “Publishing Guru” posted a great article about the importance of reading to your children.

We often post references to similar articles, but I really liked the emphasis on inexpensive options for finding reading material. With the number of books my children go through, I can definitely relate.

Some of the tips included:

• look in discount stores for books
• join a book club
• start a book swap with some of the parents in your neighborhood or with family members 
• read books that you download onto your computer
• don’t forget about your local library

These are all great ideas. Please share any additional ideas or options you have used in the past.