How parents can make books fun on 'Drop Everything and Read' Day, and always
The timing for this year's "Drop Everything and Read" Day couldn't be better.
With coronavirus quarantines leaving us at home and looking for things to do, the D.E.A.R. reading celebration day this Sunday could be a welcome distraction and possibly the start of a daily reading habit.
D.E.A.R.'s mission is simple: to encourage families to take at least 30 minutes on D.E.A.R. Day to enjoy books together.
Nashville Public Library officials say reading aloud to your preschool child is the single most important activity you can do to prepare them for school and that continuing to read to, and with, them is invaluable.
"Reading together is a bonding experience," said Cassie Welch, a children's librarian at the Edmondson Pike branch and the mother of a 2-year-old. "It also improves their vocabulary, helps develop cognitive skills and social skills."
Memphis Public Library officials agree, with their website saying "the key to building early literacy skills and preparing children for kindergarten is your interaction with your child."
Reading tips for parents
Start early:The best time to start reading to your children is while they are babies, Welch said. "The earlier the better." She highly recommends board books for babies and toddlers.
For board books, Welch recommends:
- "I Kissed the Baby" by Mary Murphy.
- "Shh! We Have a Plan" by Chris Haughton.
- "Moo, Baa, La La La" and "The Going to Bed Book" by Sandra Boynton.
Welch said another good board book option is the bilingual nursery rhyme series by Susie Jaramillo that is accordion style, one side English, the other side Spanish.
Let them move: Learnplayread.com says that with toddlers, don't expect them to be still. "Don't worry if they act out stories or skip, romp or tumble as you read to them. They may be moving, but they are listening."
You don't have to finish: With little ones having short attention spans, Welch says not to think you have to finish every book. "Take their cues," and if they are not engaged, move on. She said with preschoolers, short and simple books with big pictures and fewer words are good bets.
Sing it out: The Memphis Public Libary's DiscoverREAD program encourages parents to sing to, and with, children to help develop listening skills. "It slows down language, so children can hear the different sounds that make up words."
Rhyme time: Reading experts also suggest rhyming books, silly tongue twisters and puppets.
Ask questions: Welch says to make the reading experience interactive by asking questions about what is happening in the book or what they think might happen. She said that part of the reading together experience is igniting imagination and how you respond to the story.
To go: Take a book or magazine along any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office.
Make it a special time: One of the biggest challenges for parents is to make reading as attractive to children as TV and video games. Welch said that by being engaged and by setting aside time to read with them, you are setting the stage for reading to be a popular activity. "Kids are learning from you, and if you make it a priority and a special time together, they will see it as one too," Welch said.
As Pamela Paul and Maria Russo wrote in their book "How to Raise a Reader": "School is where children learn to read. Home is where children learn to love to read."
Writing is important: "Writing goes hand in hand with reading," Welch said. She suggests having your child draw a picture and then write what is going on in the picture. Even having your child help write out the grocery list or write a note to Grandma is good practice.
According to the Memphis library site, "connecting printed letters to spoken words prepares children for learning to read. Drawing and scribbling develops fine motor skills needed to write."
Keep it in reach: Make sure you have plenty of books in your home and that they are placed where the children can easily reach them.
Go online: Take advantage of library online reading programs and others like Dolly Parton's weekly videos called “Goodnight With Dolly,” which feature "book lady" Parton reading some of her favorite Imagination Library books, starting with "The Little Engine that Could."
Have fun: Let children know that you, the parents, enjoy reading.
Read to Rise program program
In an effort to improve early literacy, the Nashville library two years ago launched its "Read to Rise" initiative that encourages parents to read daily with their children.
The program is set up where for each day you read, you track the reading by marking a spot on the reading log or logging it on the computer. When you’ve read for 90 cumulative days, you are eligible for prizes.
With brick-and-mortar branches closed because of COVID-19 concerns, everything but the pickup of the prizes can be done online at library.nashville.org.
The 2020 Summer Read Challenge is coming up too: npl.readsquared.com.
Suggestions of books for families to read together
I asked Welch, other library officials and Facebook readers for suggestions for family reading. Some of these are also Ms. Cheap favorites.
Preschool through first grade picture books
- "Good News, Bad News" by Jeff Mack
- "I Yam a Donkey" by Cece Bell
- "Every Little Thing" by Bob Marley and Cedella Marley
- "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Brown
- "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle
- "Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen
- Bible stories
Second grade and up
- "The BFG" and "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
- "Where the Sidewalk Ends" Shel Silverstein
- "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" books by Betty McDonald
- "Harry Potter" books by J.K. Rowling
- "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis
- "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
- Bible stories
- "Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
- "Mr. Lemoncello's Library" series by Chris Grabenstein
- "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
- "Tupelo Landing" series by Sheila Turnage
Even more suggestions:20 great book series to keep your family entertained during the coronavirus crisis
Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, and at Tennessean.com/mscheap, and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap, and catch her every Thursday at 11 a.m. on WTVF-Channel 5’s “Talk of the Town.”