Tips, in general:
1) Model reading. Let them see that it’s part of your day.
2) Stop and read a line out loud. Pick a line that isn’t inappropriate, of course, and read it to them because you love the sound or the image, or because you think it’s smart or timely, and discuss it.
3) Read aloud to your child even when he/she is too old for it. This is crucial. It helps you talk about the world through books – which is easier sometimes on hard topics than talking about your do-wrong cousin, for example. Also, words love to be said out loud. It will develop your child’s writerly ear.
4) Build that reading/writing community as I said above – book groups, book swaps, writing groups, read alouds, storytelling .... This way reading and writing aren’t solitary.
5) Have books in your house – on loan from the library or buying the ones you love most – and have a place where those books roost and a place where your child can wallow in them.
6) Make sure your child has a journal – it’s a grand tradition for both genders. Writing in journals gives you an unfair advantage in life – take it!
7) Encourage your child to keep a reading journal as part of the journal so that they can reflect on what they’ve read and define their likes and dislikes, and, in general, become a more critically minded and discerning reader.
There’s more, of course, and I’ll be adding to this page, so revisit it in the future ... To send on your questions, click here.
For more on how to get N.E. Bode into YOUR CHILD’S CLASSROOM, click here.
For writing exercises, click here.
For how-to host an Anybody Party with fun games, click here.
For Anybody goodies, click here.
To get an inscribed book plate for your child's copies of The Anybodies and The Nobodies, click here.
Other websites of interest:
