Early Literacy - Easy Ways to Get Your Child to Love Books

Learning to read is an important step in your child's education. Kids who read well do better in school. Early literacy should be a priority in your home. You want to give your child the best possible education, and this starts at home, before they are anywhere near school age.

There is a lot you can do to encourage a love of books before your child gets to kindergarten. It is not difficult to do. In fact there are many fun activities you can do with your child to get them to love books. Follow these easy steps and you will bond with your child while sharing your love of books.

Read to your baby from day one if possible. Try it when you are all comfy and snuggled up on the couch. Get out a board book and just look at it together. Point out what is in the pictures. You can also make a photo album and collect pictures of people and things that they see everyday. Babies love this.

Books should be a familiar part of their home environment. If they are not exposed to books until they start school, you will have a harder time getting them interested in learning how to read.

Read books to wind them down at nap time and before bed. Your child will begin to associate these warm, relaxing feelings with the books.

These feelings will imprint on your child's brain for life. Learning to read later on will be a joy rather than a stressful chore.

If your kids see you reading books, newspapers and magazines they will be curious and will want to do the same.

Make reading a priority and not just something to do if there is nothing on television. Your child will likely follow suit.

Many libraries and community centers offer free story and singing programs for preschoolers. Songs and nursery rhymes are excellent for developing pre-reading skills.

Studies show that kids who have trouble rhyming have trouble learning to read. Use these programs to learn songs and rhymes to do at home.

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Kids love outings, especially outings where they get to bring something home. This need not be expensive- visit your local library.

Thrift shops and garage sales are also great places to get children's books on the cheap.

When my kids were small, we made an alphabet book.

I bought a scrapbook and letter stickers. We cut pictures out of old magazines for each letter and pasted them in. We spent quality time together while they learned their letter sounds.

And now that they are older, they still like to make up their own stories and comic books.

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