United Way of Yellowstone County

Reading Matters

Reading Matters Purpose

To improve vocabulary and language skills of children ages birth to six years old. Reading Matters focuses on providing parents with the necessary tools to build a literacy-rich home environment and help them to increase the quality and quantity of time they spend reading with their children.

family reading

Reading Matters Program

United Way of Yellowstone County partners with seven nonprofits to identify enroll and engage children and their families in the monthly book program. Over 200 children are currently enrolled. Each child receives one age appropriate book per month until their sixth birthday. Children who have been enrolled in the program since birth could potentially receive 72 books through the end of their eligibility at age six. This builds their home library with many books and increases their access to daily reading opportunities. In addition to the new books each month, parents receive information on the importance of shared reading, tips on how to read to their children at every stage, sheets about their child's developmental milestones, and fun educational ideas to help children grow to their potential. Reading Matters - Importance

* Studies prove that the most important thing parents can do to prepare young children for success in school is to read aloud with them daily.
* Reading helps children build listening skills, vocabulary and memory.
* Children develop much of their capacity for learning and reading within the first three years of life.
* A child who has been read to for 30 minutes a day from infancy to age 5, has been exposed to 900 hours of "brain food". If that time is reduced to 30 minutes weekly, the child loses 770 hours of reading exposure!

When Reading to Babies:

Hold your baby close to you-the warm closeness and intimacy of the activity helps to create a positive feeling toward books and reading in your child.

Expect your baby to touch, grab and taste - This is how they learn. Offer your baby a toy to hold or chew on while listening to the story.

Point to, name and talk about things in the pictures - hearing you say the words will help your baby learn to speak and understand the words.

Choose simple books - those with cardboard pages and brightly colored pictures.

Keep book-sharing times short - read a few pages at a time and gradually lengthen the number of pages.Tips for Reading Aloud to Your Preschooler

When Reading to Preschoolers:

Read Slowly-this helps your child make sense of what's happening in the story.

Vary your voice when reading - use different voices for different characters and emotions.

Stop often to ask questions and look at pictures - ask your child to name objects, make sounds, repeat rhymes or phrases, or guess what might happen next.

Talk about the book - point out details your child might have missed, talk about how the story relates to your child's life.

Have regular story time - bedtime is a great time for a book. Keep sessions short until your child's attention span grows.

Preschoolers are beginning to make sense of concepts - such as color, size, shape and time. Read simple picture books that reinforce their learning.

Ask questions about what's going on - "Where's the...?" "What's that...?" Point to the answer.

Encourage your baby to join in -moo like a cow or finish a repetitive phrase.When Reading to Preschoolers:

Read Slowly-this helps your child make sense of what's happening in the story.

Vary your voice when reading - use different voices for different characters and emotions.

Stop often to ask questions and look at pictures - ask your child to name objects, make sounds, repeat rhymes or phrases, or guess what might happen next.

Talk about the book - point out details your child might have missed, talk about how the story relates to your child's life.

Have regular story time - bedtime is a great time for a book. Keep sessions short until your child's attention span grows.

Tips for Soon-to-Be Readers

Children are "soon-to-be" readers when they know most of the letters of the alphabet and some of their sounds.

When reading together:

* Move your finger under the words as you read aloud. This helps the preschooler connect printed words to spoken words.
* Encourage your soon-to-be reader without pressuring or pushing by focusing on positive comments.
* Let your child gradually share some of the reading aloud. You read a sentence, paragraph or page, then it's your child's turn. Take over if your beginner seems tired or discouraged so that reading continues to be enjoyable, and not just hard work.

Other ways to help your child:

*Have plenty of paper, crayons and pencils readily available for your child to use, and a place to display their pictures and writing.
*Playfully reinforce letter names and sounds. Play "I spy something that starts with a 'p' sound..." or make a list together of words you know that begin with an 'm' sound.
*Leave notes for your child to discover and read on the refrigerator or in a lunch bag.
*Take your new reader to the library to sign up for his or her own library card.