Ways to Incorporate Daily Reading Activities With Children
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Today, it seems, everyone is too busy to do much of what we know is important or needed. Just because a parent feels they don’t have 15 or 20 minutes to read to their child for whatever the reason, there are still ways to find the time for what has been called “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for success in reading is reading aloud to children”. With the help of the Reading is Fundamental Organization’s website (www.rif.org) I’ve compiled a list of ideas to enable parents to find opportunities to read to their children and help them succeed.
- Mealtime is a perfect time to get the family together and read an imaginative story. Before dinner is served or as everyone is finishing, take an extra few minutes to read.
- Most children love bath time. While they are soaking in the warm tub and confined to one place, use this time to read.
- Is it a beautiful day? Take the kids to the park, but take a book along. Times like these create memories!
- Many families go out to dinner fairly regularly. Take a book with you and read while you are waiting for the food.
- Having kids means frequent visits to the doctor’s office. Take a book to share for the long wait.
- Encourage interest-based reading. If a particular topic interests a child, visit the library and ask the librarian to help you find some books on that subject. This will promote reading!
- Keep a book in the car just in case you have some spare time in the car.
- Make a tent with a sheet and some chairs to create a “reading hideaway”
- Telling stories can still help stimulate a young child’s development. Make up a silly story or tell a true story from the past. Singing songs could also encourage language improvement.
Getting Books into Children’s Homes
A key to having the opportunity to read aloud to children is having the books available to read. Many parents can’t afford to purchase books and have no means to get to the library. As a result, programs nationwide have emerged with one goal – getting books to the children who need them. Researchers at the University of Southern California started a book loan program and literacy workshops at Para Los Ninos, a nonprofit social services agency in Los Angeles serving mostly single mothers and their children. The workshops teach parents simple ways to promote emergent reading, such as tracking the words with their finger. The book loan program contains about 800 books readily available at the Para Los Ninos agency and does not have any fees for late or damaged books. By providing parents a short, informative workshop and an easier, less-intimidating way to obtain books, test results are showing the Para Los Ninos preschoolers are entering elementary school reading at or above grade level compared with other children of immigrant families who typically enter kindergarten behind their peers. (Tawa, 2000)
Another example aimed at all children and families not based on need is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (www.imaginationlibrary.com). This program offers children a free book every month mailed directly to their home from birth to age 5. The only stipulation is that it is not available in all areas yet. Dolly Parton and organizations nationwide are recognizing the importance of reading to young children and how that directly affects a child’s success in school. Any child would be extremely excited to receive a book in the mail – such a great motivator for encouraging a love of reading!
Reading is such an important part of our lives and of our success as students, working professionals, parents, etc. If every parent knew that a few minutes of reading with their child each day could help ensure their child becomes a successful reader and lifelong learner, most would follow through and do it. Teachers and librarians need to expose these facts to parents to prevent more students from falling behind in reading and all areas of school. As Trelease states, “The more you read, the better you get at it; the better you get at it, the more you like it; and the more you like it, the more you do it. And the more you read, the more you know; and the more you know, the smarter you grow” (2001).
Watch the video related to children books
Help answer the question about children books
I have a strong passion to write children's Books. This passion has existed for a long time. However I haveI used to teach school. My specialty was teaching young children how to read and enjoy their creativity. I would like some feedback since I am in my 80's. I feel wonderful just about everyday eventhough I have cancer, osteoporous,low-vision (advanced glaucoma in both eyes) and asthma. Some people think that I am too old to attempt continuing my Books. What do you think? I am a positive-thinker and grateful to GOD for extending my life. Come on, I want only true opinions.
I have someone to illustrate my books. Got any ideas where I might contact someone who would be interested in getting the first book off the "ground' FLOOR. Best Wishes for your suggestions.
About Author
Submitted by Melinda Franklin
Written by Constance Anderson, Teacher, University of South Florida Grad Student, Mom
Co-owners of http://www.tinytotboutique.com
September 25th, 2002 at 11:11 am
dude, you own! this looks identical to a photograph
September 25th, 2002 at 11:58 am
it’s almost like a photo
great painting 
September 25th, 2002 at 11:22 am
Try amazon they have some good ones:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/pagan%20childrens%20book
September 25th, 2002 at 11:37 am
How about weekly trips to your local library. Get a new pile of stories every week. It's a great outing that kids love.
September 25th, 2002 at 11:43 am
- A math or science book (not a workbook) geared for young preschool / Kindergarten aged girls or girls and boys. I'm looking for practical and simple, non-technical writing that my daughter could understand. She enjoys learning about volcanoes, plants and animals, the human body, physical science, basic math, word problems, etc. The books I find are usually too technical or geared for gradeschool or they seem geared for boys (i.e. getting dirty and gross with slime). I'm interested in finding something that is not so gender-specific either. For example, not looking for princess stuff. Just something that a preschooler/Kindergartener can grasp and remember. I think kids around this age ask a lot of "why" questions. My daughter can get pretty technical and can grasp things if I use simple language. Typical questions might be: "Why do hot things make steam?" and "Why are owls awake at night?" Today she told her grandma what nocturnal meant: Nocturnal means when animals are awake at night because that's when they hunt for their food and they sleep in the morning. Sorry if I'm going on and on, just trying to give you some ideas here.
I'd also like to see more Learn-To-Read series of books, something like the Biscuit dog series. I'd like to see basic sight words worked into an engaging story, more modern pictures. I don't mean abstract, I just mean something newer and more updated. The illustrations and basic story line play a big role in how much my daughter wants to read the series. The story line can be kept pretty simple with the holidays, basic play, manners, etc.
-Illustrations should have a simple, colorful but entertaining style. I see a lot of stuff that's either too stylized, too CG or animated looking, dated, or cluttered.
-Really enjoy books that have lift-up flaps and things to pull but they often get stuck or torn. Wish there was a way to make this work better and also that there were more books with these features that were not just meant for toddlers. One set of books that were terrific that were age appropriate were In The Country and At School by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais
You can actually see inside this book if you click on the picture of the cover here:
http://www.amazon.com/Country-Lift-Flap-Learning-Book/dp/2020694182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241033751&sr=1-1#
Just some suggestions, hope this helps.
September 26th, 2002 at 12:39 pm
i use photoshop
September 26th, 2002 at 3:50 pm
awesome stuff man,….ama practice hard to get to yo level!
September 26th, 2002 at 9:08 am
The Curious George collection is good, Dr Suess of course, Where the Wild Things Are is classic, and don't be afraid to challenge them. Our eight year old read Harry Potter to our five year old. It was a wonderful experience for both.
September 26th, 2002 at 9:48 am
There's a book called How to Raise a Gentleman, it was actually published a few years ago by Brooks Brothers if you can believe that! As far as kids books I would check with the local Christian book store I bet they would have some.
September 27th, 2002 at 10:09 am
Doctor Dan the Bandage Man- sexist and stereotypical. In my opinion he behaves in a condescending manner while interacting with his female playmate and treats her like she is inferior just because she is a girl.
September 27th, 2002 at 8:12 pm
HOLY CRAP! Comparing this to the original picture, they’re identical!
September 27th, 2002 at 9:43 pm
wich program he is for doing this ? beside a tablet ofc
September 27th, 2002 at 7:41 pm
Well I prefer to donate them to a public library because then everyone gets to read them but on the other hand I like a school because they have less books…I would do a public library because a school would only have 1-2 grades that are interested and a public library more people would read them and I think you get some money off of your taxes…ask for some tax form thingy.
September 27th, 2002 at 7:59 pm
That long? I'd be willing to bet that it come up around 2010, just in time for the next election.
September 27th, 2002 at 8:45 pm
I think there are lots of them, but it's a little hard to identify them because they don't always state that they're "gifted."
Here are some I can think of that may apply:
Roxaboxen / Alice McLerran: A hill covered with rocks and wooden boxes becomes an imaginary town for Marian, her sisters, and their friends. Marian called it Roxaboxen. (She always knew the name of everything.) There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill — nothing but sand and rocks, some old wooden boxes, cactus and greasewood and thorny ocotillo — but it was a special place: a sparkling world of jeweled homes, streets edged with the whitest stones, and two ice cream shops….
Christina Katerina and the Box / Patricia Lee Gauch: Christina finds many uses for the large box that housed the new refrigerator.
The Big orange splot / Daniel Manus Pinkwater: When a seagull drops a can of orange paint on his neat house, Mr. Plumbean gets an idea that affects his entire neighborhood.
Meggie Moon / Elizabeth Baguley: Normally, no one dares to play in the yard where Digger and Tiger spend all their time, but when a girl invades, they soon realize that she has some brilliant ideas for playing with the junk found there.
The legend of the Indian paintbrush / Tomie De Paola: Little Gopher follows his destiny, as revealed in a Dream-Vision, of becoming an artist for his people and eventually is able to bring the colors of the sunset down to the earth.
The fossil girl : Mary Anning's dinosaur discovery / Catherine Brighton: In simple cartoon style, tells the story of a twelve-year-old English girl's discovery in 1811 of an ichthyosaurus skeleton.
Emma's rug / Allen Say: A young artist finds that her creativity comes from within when the rug that she had always relied upon for inspiration is destroyed.
Benny : an adventure story / Bob Graham: When Benny the dog steals the show from Brillo the magician, he is forced to look for a new home where his rare talents such as juggling and tap dancing will be appreciated.
My family plays music / Judy Cox: A musical family with talents for playing a variety of instruments enjoys getting together to celebrate.
Granite baby / Lynne Bertrand: Five talented New Hampshire sisters try to care for a baby that one of them has carved out of granite.
Looking for Daniela : a romantic adventure / Steven Kroll: Antonio, a street performer who admires a rich merchant's daughter, must use his talents in juggling, tightrope walking, and guitar playing when he rescues her from bandits and tries to get her home again.
The seven Chinese sisters / Kathy Tucker: When a dragon snatches the youngest of seven talented Chinese sisters, the other six come to her rescue. (And of course the Five Chinese Brothers by Clare Huchet Bishop, or the Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy)
213 valentines / Barbara Cohen: Wade has trouble adjusting when he is transferred to a special fourth grade class for the gifted and talented, so he plans to send himself 213 valentines signed by celebrities.
Amanda Bean's amazing dream : a mathematical story / Cindy Neuschwander: Amanda loves to count everything, but not until she has an amazing dream does she finally realize that being able to multiply will help her count things faster.
Frosted glass / Denys Cazet: Gregory the dog's vivid imagination gets him in trouble at school, leading him to draw cities and spaceships when he should be doing something else, but his artistic ability does not go unrecognized.
Painted dreams / Karen Lynn Williams: Because her Haitian family is too poor to be able to buy paints for her, eight-year-old Ti Marie finds her own way to create pictures that make the heart sing. Ti Marie dreams of being an artist. Whenever she gets some time away from watching her little sisters and helping Mama in their market stall, she finds a cement wall or a scrap of waste paper and lets her imagination soar….
Alistair and the alien invasion / Marilyn Sadler: When aliens invade from outer space, boy genius Alistair is the only person able to save the Earth.
This is the story of Archibald Frisby : who was as crazy for science as any kid could be / Michael Chesworth: Archibald Frisby, mad about science and wise beyond his years, is sent to camp to have fun and ends up broadening the horizons of his fellow campers.
Herbert Binns & the flying tricycle / Caroline Castle: Herbert Binns is such a clever mouse that some of the other animals are jealous of his talents and plot to sabotage his new invention, a flying tricycle.
Baby Brains superstar / Simon James: A musically gifted baby is invited to play the electric guitar at a star-studded rock concert.
Alphabet soup / Kate Banks: A boy's ability to spell words with his alphabet soup comes in handy during the magical journey he takes in his mind with a friendly bear.
Porkenstein / Kathryn Lasky: Lonely after his two brothers are eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, Dr. Smart Pig invents a wolf-proof friend to keep him company on Halloween.
M & M and the super child afternoon / Pat Ross: When best friends, Mimi and Mandy, turn out to be more talented at each other's special choice in a "Super Child" class, they decide to go their separate ways after school.
First graders from Mars. Episode 4, Tera, star student / Shana Corey: Although she is smart, Tera must learn the importance of working together on a group project. Tera is a star student. So when Pod 1 is assigned a group project to build the solar system, Tera is sure she has all the answers. But with her overzealous nature and her know-it-all ways, Tera ruffles a few tentacles. Why does being right sometimes feel so wrong?…
Regards to the man in the moon / Ezra Jack Keats: With the help of his imagination, his parents, and a few scraps of junk, Louie and his friends travel through space.
September 28th, 2002 at 7:10 am
A-W-E-S-O-M-E your works is very awesome! cool!!!! very good
September 28th, 2002 at 10:02 am
véiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, que difuu
September 28th, 2002 at 4:07 pm
Awesome work Williamsshamir
Great video.
Much love Kat