Reading+to+your+child

="Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."= =Emilie Buchwald=

Read, read, read!
Reading to your child helps them in many ways. It helps to build their attention span and develop their vocabulary. It also encourages their curiosity and imagination and is a great opportunity to bond with them. The table below is from __The__ __Read-Aloud Handbook__ by Jim Trelease. It shows how the amount of time a child spends reading can affect their reading rank.

Reading Time Per Day, Words Per Year (percentile) ||= Minutes read per Day ||= Number of Words read per Year ||
 * = Child's Reading Rank
 * = 90th ||= 37.8 minutes ||= 2.3 million words ||
 * = 70th ||= 19.5 minutes ||= 1.1 million words ||
 * = 50th ||= 11.1 minutes ||= .6 million words ||
 * = 30th ||= 5.3 minutes ||= .25 million words ||
 * = 10th ||= 1.1 minutes ||= .05 million words ||

Here are some good tips to try while reading to/with your child:

 * 1) Include reading time as part of your daily routine (always read after dinner and/or before bed)
 * 2) Create a special reading area (such as a bean bag or tent)
 * 3) Choose books based on your child's interests
 * 4) Keep your child engaged by using fun voices and asking questions (see video below)
 * 5) As your child begins to learn letters and sight words, point to them in the book and ask your child to name them
 * 6) Keep it interesting by reading a variety of books (Use your local library!)
 * 7) Your child may choose to read the same books again and again. While this may be boring for you, it is beneficial for your child and helps improve their vocabulary.
 * 8) Praise your child! Thank them for reading with you. Enjoy them while they still like to be in your lap!

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Here are some of my favorite books/authors to read to preschool and kindergarten children:

 * __Are You a Horse?__ by Andy Rash
 * __Duck! Rabbit!__ by Amy Rosenthal
 * __Where the Wild Things Are__ by Maurice Sendak
 * __Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse__ and other books by Kevin Henkes
 * __Fancy Nancy__ series by Jane O'Connor
 * __Olivia__ series by Ian Falconer
 * __If you Give a Cat a Cupcake__ and other books by Laura Numeroff
 * __Don't be Silly Mrs. Millie__ by Judy Cox
 * __The Very Fairy Princess__ by Julie Andrews
 * __Cupcake__ by Charise Mericle Harper
 * __Pinkalicious__ by Victoria Kahn
 * __Alphabet Adventure__ by Audrey and Bruce Wood
 * __The Napping House__ and other books by Audrey Wood
 * __Anna and the Little Green Dragon__ by Klaus Baumgart
 * __Don't Wake Up Mama__ and other 5 Little Monkey books by Eileen Christelow
 * __Picky Mrs. Pickle__ by Christine M. Schneider
 * __Go Away, Big Green Monster__ by Ed Emberly