CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: If your child is just beginning to read point out the letter-sound relationships your child is learning on labels, boxes, newspapers, magazines and signs. Listen to your child read words and books from school. Be patient and listen as your child practices. Let your child know you are proud of your child's readingMY WORD: The earlier you encourage your child to read the easier all your child's school subjects will be for your child.

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: You can teach your child ways to learn new words. Teachers cannot possibly teach students the meaning of every new word they see or read. Children should be taught how to use dictionaries to learn word meanings, how to use known words and word parts to figure out other words, and how to get clues about a word from the rest of the sentence. On average, children need about two years of instruction in letter-sound relationships to become good spellers as well as readers .MY WORD: Children should be taught to read as young as possible.

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: Because as parents, you make a big difference in what children think and do. Your children look up to you as role models. If you eat right and are physically active, you have a good chance of helping your children make those choices, too. MY WORD: Other factors that come into play are metabolism (the way your body converts food and oxygen into energy)and environment.They all contribute to keeping your weight down and staying slim.

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: Children need practice in reading comfortably and with expression using books they know. As your child is reading aloud, point out words your child missed and help him read words correctly. If you stop to focus on a word, have your child reread the whole sentence to be sure he understands the meaning. Talk with your child about what your child is reading. Ask about new words. Talk about what happened in a story. Ask about the characters, places, and events that took place. Ask what new information your child has learned from the book. Encourage your child to read on her/his own.MY WORD: Be sure to visit the library as often as possible

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: Preschool and kindergarten teachers set the stage for your child to learn to read with some critical early skills. First, second, and third grade teachers then take up the task of building the skills that children will use every day for the rest of their lives. As a parent, you can help by understanding what teachers are teaching and by asking questions about your child's progress and the classroom reading program. MY WORD: Read to child as often as possible.