By: Pam Allyn, Author, What to Read When & The Complete 4 Series; Executive Director, LitLife & LitWorld
R = Ritual
- Rituals are important for all aspects of life
- Rituals provide comfort and joy, through predictability your child can take risks and learn new things
- Important to create rituals for reading aloud with all your children together, as well as each individual child
- Reading together can build family relationships, it allows you to learn more about one another
- Reading at night is wonderful, you can also read at bath time, read in your kitchen while your child helps you cook dinner, read on the playground
- Holidays are especially fitted for creating great rituals around reading aloud
E = Environment
- Establish an environment conducive to reading aloud
- By environment I mean the physical layout of the space where you and your child will actually read together
- Some children need a very special read-aloud environment where the conditions are just right
- Let your child create the read-aloud environment with you
- Look around your home and ask yourself, what might get in the way of a tranquil reading experience?
- Environment should reflect the value of literacy (Ex: Don’t let the TV compete for your child’s mental focus and personal space)
- Put books where your child can reach them on his or her own (Consider baskets instead of bookshelves)
- What belongs in the environment?
- Books, magazines
- Writing materials
- Sounds/visuals that might compel your child toward print
- You and your child!
To find out the rest of the R.E.A.D. acronym and to see a video of Pam Allyn, go here.