Baby Steps.
According to PBS dot org, after including a child’s
topics of interest, another thing to keep in mind is to
“start small.”
castle or princess. That’s pretty remarkable. They
can rarely get that kind of knowledge from watching
a cartoon,” he says.
To Correct or Not to Co-
If your third grader loves dogs but is intimidated by
reading about them, you should not try to force them rrect? That is The Question.
read something as advanced as a veterinary textbo-
ok. Forcing one to read, especially books that aren’t Should you correct your child’s pronunciation mis-
reading level appropriate will only continue to dis- takes? It depends.
courage them.
When reading together for pleasure, you should not
Learn their literacy level by consulting their teachers correct them the exact moment they mispronounce a
instead and pick out a simple but engaging book or word. As hard and tempting as it might be, keeping
newspaper article about dogs. Also, remember that it quiet is the right thing to do. It’s best to correct and
is okay if your child is below the average literacy level explain the mistake when your child finishes reading.
for his or her peers. A parent may want to start rea-
ding extremely easy books to him or her and slowly What if your second grader needs some more se-
reach or even surpass an appropriate level. Learning rious help learning, though? Then you should teach
them for about thirty minutes per day and let them
is a process.
know you will carefully correct them before you sit
down to read. That way you have his or her full atten-
Books are for Infants too. tion. One good method is to point to each word on
the page and sound it out with them.
The earlier you place a book in your child’s hands,
the better. Reading to them is just as good. Not only Above all, remember that teaching literacy takes time,
is it good for an infant’s development, but it’s also an and every child learns in their own way at their own
opportunity to bond with your children.
pace.
Can unborn babies benefit from reading? According “Love of reading will not happen immediately,” says
to Westmoreland, some research shows that when Westmoreland
mothers or siblings read to an unborn child, they will
respond by moving or kicking in the mother’s womb.
It can also expand their vocabulary.
“If you’re reading Cinderella to a 3 or 4 year old,
he or she will understand the meaning of the word
It’s best to read to your
baby from the day they
are born. Not only is it
good for their brain but
it’s a chance to bond.
Winter / Spring 2017 | ZEALOUSNESS MAGAZINE |