Making literacy and numeracy fun!

• Start early! It is never too early to start reading. Did you know that reading to infants stimulates brain development? In fact, it is recommended that parents start to read to their children by 2 months of age.
• Read often. Make it a part of daily life. Read before bed as a way to wind down. Keep books in the car and stroller.
• Read in front of your children. Read the newspaper, books and magazines. Kids copy what their parents do.
• Sing nursery rhymes with your child. Rhyming tunes a child's ears to language.
• Put colorful posters or quilts with the alphabet in your child's room.
• Play with letter puzzles.
• Kids who love reading are better students and better writers.
• Allow your child to read what is most interesting to them. This might be a sports magazine or comic book. What's most important is that they read!
• Visit the library on a weekly basis with your child to check out new books.
• Not sure what your child might like to read? Ask your librarian.
• Allow your child to ask a lot of questions while you read to them.
• Ask your child about the "who", "what" and "where" of the stories you read to them. Ask them to imagine how characters might be feeling. This helps your child understand what is happening in the story. Teachers call this reading comprehension.
• Move your finger under the words as you read. This helps kids understand that the written words relate to spoken words.
• Make games out of counting things in the world around. "How many street lights do you see?" "Can you find two of something?" Play "I spy with my little eye".
• For your child's birthday party, have a book swap instead of presents. Parents will enjoy not having to buy a gift and kids will like getting a new book.

Adapted from Healthy Steps. Edited and Compiled by the Center for Promotion of Child Development Through Primary Care 2011