How Parents Help

Many things that you do at home on a daily basis will help your children the most. Here are a few activities to try:

Set aside a special reading time. Tell your child you look forward to and enjoy your reading time together. Children who are read to – read.
Listen to your child. Oral language experience is also a foundation for literacy.
Talk to your child.
Make time to play with your child.
Solve problems with your child, instead of for him / her.
Have your child count everything and anything.
Write stories out as your child dictates them. Children love to see their ideas in print.
Praise your child whenever possible.
Talk with your child about school and everyday events.
Supervise homework. Give your child a quiet place to work, and check that assignments are completed.
Encourage exercise and good nutrition.
Encourage your child to write.
Broaden your child’s horizons by taking him / her to parks, museums, libraries, zoos, and historical sites. All of these places offer fun learning experiences.
Tell your child education is important, and encourage him / her to do well in school.
Children do not know intuitively how to behave: kindly but firmly teach your children.
Help your child get a library card from the public library. Take your child to the library as often as possible.
Help your child pick out interesting books to read.
Talk to your child about subjects that interest him / her.
Give your child his / her own place to keep books.
Write notes to your child. Leave them to be found in special places – under pillows, in lunches, or in favorite books.
Encourage your child to keep a scrapbook about a subject that interests him / her (ie. stamps, dogs, birds, trucks, photos of family activities).
Limit your child’s television watching. Turn the television on for a specific show, and turn it off immediately after the show is over.
Read and discuss schoolwork with your child.
Provide materials for creative projects (ie. crayons, pencils, paper, paint, scissors).
Help your child make a telephone directory with the names and telephone numbers of his / her friends.
Ask your child to write or dictate a sentence or two for letters you write to faraway relatives.
Give your child specific duties at home to perform on a regular basis.
Invite your child to help you prepare dinner.
Subscribe to a children’s magazine in your child’s name.
Bring books for your child to read in the car.
Look up words in the dictionary with your child.
Encourage your child to show hi / her schoolwork to your friends and relatives.
When traveling, read road signs with your child. Discuss what they mean.
Show your child how to use a yardstick, ruler, or tape measure to measure things around the house.
Give your child a special place to keep items he / she must regularly take to school.
Show your child how to tell time.
Hug your child daily.