Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle

In Our Store >>

Order our Launching Young Readers PBS series

Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

• e-mail
• print
• share
• comments

Simple Ways to Encourage Learning

The following tips explain simple things you can do to help encourage your child to read, learn, and succeed!

(This article is from the ColorinColorado.org web site and is also available in Spanish. The links in the article below will take you to articles on ColorinColorado.org.)

Simple things you can do to help your child learn at home:

• Let your child know you believe in him or her

  Tell your child often that you believe in him or her. Let your child hear – starting at a very young age – that you believe in his or her ability to do well.

• Talk, sing, and read with your child

  Talk, sing, and read together, as often as you can! Click here for some fun ways to read with your child.

• Involve your extended family

  Ask all the people who care about your child – aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, godparents, baby sitters, neighbors, and friends – to encourage your child to do well in school. Give each of them a copy of our reading tips and activities pages.

• Limit your child's TV watching

  Try to control how much TV your child watches. This includes when your child is with you, with a baby sitter, or home alone. Children need to hear and talk to adults in order to build their language skills.

• Have a positive attitude toward school and learning

  Take an interest in how your child is doing at school so he or she will believe that learning is important. Find ways to help your child succeed in school.

• Make sure your child does homework

  Look over your child's homework each night. Ask your child to explain what he or she is learning. Make sure that assignments are completed. If possible, find a quiet place for your child to study, and set aside time each evening for homework.