A bad habit is just like a comfortable bed. It is easy to get in, but hard to get out.

Always remember this: a man who doesn't read books is no better than a man who can't
read them.
Always be positive! Reading is fun if you think it is. Before you read a book, tell yourself,
"I will enjoy reading this book!"
A good book makes good reading.
Practice makes perfect.
Never give up.
Know that: there is no alternative to reading.
Pick up a book. If you are nowhere near a book, how are you supposed to read? Try finding
something to read. That can be anything, including newspapers, magazines, novels etc. The
important thing is that the book you choose should be at your level. Dont choose a book too
high for your level because it will just waste your time.
Practice your reading habit. Now that you have found what you like to read, you can set a
goal of 15 minutes a day of reading. During this time, youre not supposed to care about
anything except your reading. After 15 minutes, you can close your reading material and do
something else. Practice this every day. Make it a habit. After you have gotten used to this
habit, you can increase the time you need to read in a day to 20 or 30 minutes.
Dont give up. If you find that you cannot complete the task in the first place, don't be
ashamed and hold your chin up! Remember, winners never quit! You just have to try again
and again until you achieve it.
Dont put too much pressure on yourself. No kidding. If you find yourself being stressed
while reading a book, dont continue reading under pressure like that. Reading is for
pleasure, not pressure, so dont push yourself too hard until you might quit reading forever, or
even if you can read, the outcome wont be so good either.
Before you start reading a book, browse the table of contents to form an idea of what
the book is about. In storybooks or fictional books, there will usually be a short description
at the back. You can look at the description to get a better idea of the book's contents.

Promoting Good Reading Habits at Home

Kindergarten
Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for
your child to do his/her homework. Be sure this is a time you
are available to help if needed.
Schedule 15 minutes of special time everyday to read to
your child. Before you read each book, read the title and
look at the cover and pictures inside. Ask your child what
they think the book may be about (prediction). After reading
the book, review the prediction. Was the prediction right? If
not, what happened instead?
Plan to go to the school library, public library, or the local
bookstore once each week and read a new book together.
After reading together retell the story. What happened at the
beginning, the middle, and the end of the story?
Play rhyming games. Say two words that rhyme (e.g. cat,
sat) and ask your child to say a word that rhymes with your
words. Take turns. Ask your child to say a word and then you
respond with a rhyming word. For example, child says "cat",
parent says "hat"; child says "chair", parent says "pair".
Take turns thinking of two words that begin with the same
sound. Examples: mom, moon; dog, door; fun, fast; paper,
pet.
Play the say it fast game. Say a word, one sound at a time
and have your child say the word at a normal rate. For
example, you say each sound in the word cat, /c/ /a/ /t/.
Then your child says the word at the normal speed, cat.
Play this game with about five to ten short words (e.g. am,
is, it, in, on, sit, pan, sun, top, net, fin) each day.
Take every opportunity you can to help increase your childs

vocabulary. You can do this by pointing to things and asking

the child to tell you what they are, or you can stop and
explain the meaning of any words in your reading that the
child may not understand. The more you talk to your child,
the faster their vocabulary will grow.

Promoting Good Reading Habits at Home

First Grade

Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for

your child to do his/her homework. Be sure this is a time you
are available to help if needed.
Schedule 15 minutes of special time everyday to read with
your child. Take turns reading a page at a time. Or, read a
sentence and then have your child reread that same
sentence until you read through the whole book.
Plan to go to the school library, public library, or the local
bookstore once each week and read a new book together.
After each story is read, ask him/her to retell the story to
you. Go back to the story to reread sections if he/she needs
help retelling the story in sequence.
Play the say the word slowly game. Say a word at normal
rate and then have your child say the same word slowly, one
sound at a time. For example, say the word, mat. Then
your child will say that same word slowly, one sound at a
time, /m/ /a/ /t/. Play this game using about five to ten
short words each day.
Fold a piece of paper into three parts. Let your child draw a
picture of something he/she did in sequence. Then help your
child write one sentence under each picture explaining what
he did first, next and last.
Take turns thinking of two words that end with the same
sound. Examples: mom, some; dog, rug; fun, ran; paper,
feather.
Take every opportunity you can to help increase your childs
vocabulary. You can do this by pointing to things and asking
the child to tell you what they are, or you can stop and

explain the meaning of any words in your reading that the

child may not understand. The more you talk to your child,
the faster their vocabulary will grow.

Promoting Good Reading Habits at Home

Second Grade
Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for
your child to do his/her homework. Be sure this is a time you
are available to help if needed.
Schedule 15 minutes of special time everyday to listen to
your child read.
Go to the school library, public library, or to the local
bookstore once each week and read a new book together.
Read the title then look at the cover and pictures inside. Ask
your child to predict what the book is about. After reading
the book, review prediction then ask about the characters,
setting, problem and solution.
Fact or Opinion Game: The parent says a sentence to the
child then asks whether it is a fact or opinion. Ex: The
weather is nice. (Opinion) A dog can bark. (Fact)
Encourage reading fluency by having your child read and
reread familiar books. It can also be helpful to have your
child read a short passage over several times while you
record the time it takes. Children often enjoy seeing if they
can improve their time from one reading to the next, and the
repeated reading helps to establish a habit of fluent reading.
Pick out a new vocabulary word from one of the books you
are reading with your child. Talk about what it means then
make up a sentence with the new word. Try to use the word
during the week.

Promoting Good Reading Habits at Home

Third Grade
Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for
your child to do his/her homework. Be sure this is a time you
are available to help if needed.
Schedule 15 minutes of special time everyday to listen to
your child read.
Go to the school library, public library, or to the local
bookstore once each week and read a new book together.
After you read each book, ask your child what the main
character did or felt like at the end of the story. Ask if he/she
has ever felt like the main character in the book. Why or why
not?
Encourage reading fluency by having your child read and
reread familiar books. It can also be helpful to have your
child read a short passage over several times while you
record the time it takes. Children often enjoy seeing if they
can improve their time from one reading to the next, and the
repeated reading helps to establish a habit of fluent reading.
Highlight or underline words that you can sound out from
the day's "junk mail." Ask your child to read these words.
Make a simple recipe with your child, allowing them to read
each direction to you step by step so you'll "know what to
do."

Read the daily newspaper together. Talk about the news.

Help your child go back to articles and find specific details
that support an opinion.

Promoting Good Reading Habits at Home

Fourth Grade

Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for

your child to do his/her homework. Be sure this is a time you
are available to help if needed.
Schedule 15 minutes of special time everyday to listen to
your child read.
Go to the school library, public library, or to the local
bookstore once each week and read a new book together.
After you read each book, talk about how it is similar to
other books you have read together.
Encourage reading fluency by having your child read and
reread familiar books. It can also be helpful to have your
child read a short passage over several times while you
record the time it takes. Children often enjoy seeing if they
can improve their time from one reading to the next, and the
repeated reading helps to establish a habit of fluent reading.
Have them read a book to a younger sibling (or even to a
pet), perhaps playing "teacher" and asking the brother or
sister good questions as he reads.
Have your child tell you a new word he has learned every

single day. This word could be from a book he is reading,

something you or the teacher said, or even a conversation
that he heard at school. Talk about what it means then make
up a sentence with the new word. If needed, use the
dictionary to figure out what the word means. Play a game
where each of you uses the word in a sentence at least twice
that day. Try to use the word again during the week. Maybe
add the words to a my new vocabulary word list and post it
on the refrigerator.

Promoting Good Reading Habits at Home

Fifth Grade
Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for your
child to do his/her homework. Be sure this is a time you are
available to help if needed.
Go to the school library, public library, or to the local bookstore
once each week and read a new book together. After you read
each book, talk about how it is similar to other books you have
read together.
Encourage new vocabulary use by finding new words each day.
You can find new words on television, in the newspaper,
magazines, or on the web.
Read daily and talk to your child about the type of reading you
enjoy.
Make a habit of reading the Sunday Newspaper together. Discuss
articles, ask your child to show you specific details from an
interesting article.

Promoting Good Reading Habits at Home

Middle School
Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for your
child to do his/her homework. Be sure this is a time you are
available to help if needed.
Set high standards for your child. Children respond when the
expectation is high.
Regularly check that assignments are completed and turned into
the teacher. Talk to your child about school and the importance of
hard work as a means of success.
Parents can model good reading habits with your child. Discuss
what you are reading and what you enjoy about the book or
article.
Encourage your child to form a study group with friends.
Students who are active in school develop good study habits.
Promote involvement in extracurricular activities.
Parents can model reading for enjoyment. Discuss what you are
reading with your child.

Tips for Developing Good Reading Habits at

Home

By: Colorn Colorado (2007)

Did you know that you can do simple things in your home to help your child, regardless
of age, develop good reading habits? Being exposed to these good habits will help
children become stronger readers and students. The first step is developing positive
reading habits with your child, as well as a positive attitude towards literacy in your
family and in your home.
Here are some simple suggestions you can use to help your child develop reading skills:

Make sure that your children observe you reading on a regular basis. What you
read is not important when your child sees you reading recipes, magazines,
newspapers, books, telephone directories, and other reading materials, it will
reinforce the importance of reading.

To stimulate reading, keep reading materials throughout the house. This will
increase your child's access to books and printed material. Help them understand
that reading doesn't only happen at school it can happen anywhere. Studies
suggest that learners who read outside of school are more successful readers and
students.

If you cannot read easily, talk about the pictures in books, magazines, and
newspapers with your child. It is important for your child to observe your efforts
in acquiring reading abilities. In addition, ask them to read aloud to you or to tell
you about what they have read in their own words.

Visit your public library often, and take advantage of the resources offered there.
You can get a library card and borrow books, cds, and dvds from the library for
free! Make sure to get your children their own library cards, and ask a librarian
for help if you don't know how to sign up for one.

Encourage your children to read in their native language. If reading skills are
developed in the native language they will transfer into English. Developing
reading skills in their native language will not hinder children's ability to read in
English it will help!

Do not allow your kids to watch television until they have done their daily
reading.

As your child becomes a better reader, talk about what he/she is reading. When
your child finishes a new story or reading assignment, discuss the main ideas,
new words and concepts, and your child's favorite section. This will help
strengthen your child's reading comprehension skills.

By taking these steps in your home, you will not only encourage your children to read
you will help them succeed in the classroom and beyond!