Reading at home, time spent reading with children, and the availability and use of reading materials are identified as important elements in children's reading success.  Supporting reading over the summer months can be done in ways that tap in to children's own interests and imaginations.  The following are some tips to encourage reading through the summer months.

For Early Readers:

• Point out print in the child's environment: on cereal boxes, food labels, toys, restaurants, and traffic signs.
• Sing songs, say short poems or nursery rhymes, and play rhyming games with your child.
• Read aloud to your child.  Point to the words on the page as you read.
• Encourage older children to read with younger children.
• Go to the library together.  Participate in the library's summer reading activities.
• Have books, magazines, and newspapers around the house.  Let your child see you reading.
• When watching TV, enable the captioning feature so that children can see the words while hearing them.

For More Advanced Readers:

• Talk to your child about what he or she is reading.  Ask open-ended questions such as "What do you think about that story?" or "What would you have done if you were that character?"
• Let your child see you using reading and writing for real purposes.
• Help your child get his or her own library card. 
• Read to your child regularly, even after your child is able to read some books independently.
• Praise your child's efforts at reading.
• Play word games such as thinking of different words to describe the same things.
• Set reasonable limits for television viewing.

Enjoy your summer break.  See you again in August!