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Ideas to Enhance the Reading experience
(These are activities I enjoy with or for my daughter Jessica that appear successful)

"To teach is to learn twice over."
--Quote by: Joseph Joubert

Maybe you already know the following and this is only a reminder ...

Respect the fact that our children may be able to comprehend more than we know, at a very early age
I try to respect my five-year old daughter's ability to comprehend by not talking down to her. In this same way, I do not "read down" to her. I find books with topics I think she will appreciate or those she has questioned and let her decide if they are too advanced. Sometimes we finish a book in one sitting; sometimes we only get through the parts she chooses. Yet and still, she enjoys it and learns something new each time. She has always surprised me by appreciating books and concepts I thought too advanced for such a young mind. Now, she asks for books and concepts way beyond her years -- she even ask to meditate and do yoga with me. Let your child choose their own books - at home, in the library or bookstore
I am always eager to see what and why my daughter chooses books. At the public library she appears to be most taken with the book covers. At home she takes her time to flip through pages and then we talk about what attracted her to the book. Once again, do not think that your child's inability to read precludes their desire to choose the books they wish to enjoy. This gives your child a chance for independent decision-making and you a chance to see what motivates your child to read or get involved with books (particularly if they are not actually reading yet). By the way, Jessica has had her own library card since the age of two. This encourages her to go to the library and make her own decisions, then check out the books by herself.

Read with a purpose - a dual, diverse purpose
We all like to read to and with our children. As we read to them we hope to inspire them to learn to read and love books. At the same time we can introduce them to new concepts. Why not read multicultural, inspirational, enlightening books. For example, one can learn the alphabet with The Caribbean Alphabet, numbers with moja means one (Swahili counting book), Mother Goose with Positively Mother Goose (a non-violent, non-sexist version), or Cinderella with Jouanah (A Thai Cinderella story). Introduce your child to the diversity of people, places and concepts that surround us with the words and pictures in these books Volunteer to read to your child's class or children's group and promote enlightenment and cultural diversity
You can volunteer to read one of our recommended multicultural or inspirational books, or one of your choice. Most teachers are glad to have you read to their class. I try to tie the story into the curriculum; e.g., if they are learning about Native Americans I will read a Native American folk tale, Gift of the Sacred Dog. On Earth Day, we read Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Save our Wonderful World and did a collage about recycling and pollution using magazine cutouts.

Read or brief the books before you read them to your child
This will allow you to be more familiar with the contents and help you to decide the best time to read the book (day or night), where to put emphasis as your read it, or if the book needs an introduction before you read it (to allow them to better appreciate the contents -- particularly if it is sensitive information). When I am reading a book about a foreign country we take a minute to find it on a world map or globe. In general, it allows me to have more fun, add drama and give depth to the books I read to my daughter.

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© 2000 Karen D. McMillan

Respect the fact that our children may be able to comprehend more than we know, at a very early age I try to respect my five-year old daughter's ability to comprehend by not talking down to her. In this same way, I do not "read down" to her. I find books with topics I think she will appreciate or those she has questioned and let her decide if they are too advanced. Sometimes we finish a book in one sitting; sometimes we only get through the parts she chooses. Yet and still, she enjoys it and learns something new each time. She has always surprised me by appreciating books and concepts I thought too advanced for such a young mind. Now, she asks for books and concepts way beyond her years -- she even ask to meditate and do yoga with me.		Let your child choose their own books - at home, in the library or bookstore I am always eager to see what and why my daughter chooses books. At the public library she appears to be most taken with the book covers. At home she takes her time to flip through pages and then we talk about what attracted her to the book. Once again, do not think that your child's inability to read precludes their desire to choose the books they wish to enjoy. This gives your child a chance for independent decision-making and you a chance to see what motivates your child to read or get involved with books (particularly if they are not actually reading yet). By the way, Jessica has had her own library card since the age of two. This encourages her to go to the library and make her own decisions, then check out the books by herself.
Read with a purpose - a dual, diverse purpose We all like to read to and with our children. As we read to them we hope to inspire them to learn to read and love books. At the same time we can introduce them to new concepts. Why not read multicultural, inspirational, enlightening books. For example, one can learn the alphabet with *The Caribbean Alphabet,* numbers with *moja means one* (Swahili counting book), Mother Goose with *Positively Mother Goose* (a non-violent, non-sexist version), or Cinderella with *Jouanah* (A Thai Cinderella story). Introduce your child to the diversity of people, places and concepts that surround us with the words and pictures in these books		Volunteer to read to your child's class or children's group and promote enlightenment and cultural diversity You can volunteer to read one of our recommended multicultural or inspirational books, or one of your choice. Most teachers are glad to have you read to their class. I try to tie the story into the curriculum; e.g., if they are learning about Native Americans I will read a Native American folk tale, *Gift of the Sacred Dog. On Earth Day, we read Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Save our Wonderful World* and did a collage about recycling and pollution using magazine cutouts.
Read or brief the books before you read them to your child This will allow you to be more familiar with the contents and help you to decide the best time to read the book (day or night), where to put emphasis as your read it, or if the book needs an introduction before you read it (to allow them to better appreciate the contents -- particularly if it is sensitive information). When I am reading a book about a foreign country we take a minute to find it on a world map or globe. In general, it allows me to have more fun, add drama and give depth to the books I read to my daughter.
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