Promoting literacy at home is a great way to help your child become a strong reader. Jerry Johns gives the following ideas to help your child with real world reading opportunities at home.

*         Write family diaries

*         Write messages to each other

*         Cook together and read recipes

*         Read bulletin from school

*         Collect grocery coupons

*         Create photo album captions

*         Read video game directions

*         Sing together

*         Design cards and invitations

*         Write and file addresses

*         Write letters to relatives

*         Write a family history

*         Videotape family events

*         Make shopping lists

*   Read TV guide and discuss good choices 

*   Discover Dictionaries

As your youngster begins to read and write, it’s a good idea for him/her to learn how to use a dictionary.  Why?  So he/she can master new words and improve his/her spelling.  Consider these three tips to help your child get started:

·          Try using a children’s dictionary.  Young children are more apt to look up words in a kid-friendly dictionary, which usually has larger type, a smaller selection of words, and more pictures than standard dictionaries.  The DK Children’s Illustrated Dictionary and the Scholastic First Dictionary are both excellent choices.

Show your child that the dictionary is arranged so words are in alphabetical order.  Explain to him/her that all the words starting with “a” can be found in the first section, all the words starting with “b” are in the next, and so on.

*         Read bus schedules

*         Make a pictorial biography

*         Read menus

*         Read and discuss news articles

*         Write a family vacation journal

*         Write thank you notes

*         Create a family bulletin board

*         Prepare a calendar of activities

*         Tape record stories

*   Create original stories

Dictionary Skill Games

You can help your child practice dictionary skills with these activities:

Word race:  Write down several words and time your youngster to see how fast they can find each one in the dictionary.

Word of the week:  Ask your child to find one word each week that’s new to him/her.  Post the word on the family bulletin board and challenge everyone to use it as often as possible during the week.

Mixed-up definitions:  Write down a new word.  Then, write out two phony definitions for it, along with the true definition.  Read them to your child and see if he/she can guess which definition is the real one.