International Read To Me Day

Every year on March 19th is International Read to Me Day. Although this day is for children to remind their parents to read to them; It is a day to read to them without being reminded. Read books that can be easy for them to understand. Have them select the book that they want you to read to them. View the front cover of the book and the back cover of the book.

Read to them aloud and slowly. Change your voice to the narrator and the voices of the characters. If this is the second time that you read to them the same story, you can make sock puppets. Make sock puppets or paper puppets before reading the story. However, if they get bored, stop reading the book and ask them if they want to change the ending of the story with their puppets. 

Another way is by using their stuff animals and to use them as the animal characters from their story. Change your voice and use their stuff animals as puppets. Make a comic strip if they like to draw and color. Read with enthusiasm. Turn off or silent your cell phone for one hour before you read to them. 

Every time you read them, make story time fun and creative. If they are tired of puppets, make a camping atmosphere in the living room. Use flashlights and battery-operated lanterns. Make a tent with blankets and pillows. Read to them camping story books, fairytale books, or other books where they can use their imagination. 

Make hot cocoa, smores, or trail mix and read to them. Also, have them read to you as you make them trail mix, hot cocoa, or smores. Have them sound out the words when they read to you. Read them in another language. Practice reading with them for five minutes or for thirty minutes a day.

It is recommended to have a bookshelf in your living room or in their bedroom. Take them to the bookstore or purchase books online based on their grade level and age. Read to them four or six books per week. Use a reading chart for them and for yourself to keep track of the books you have read together. Stop reading if they fall asleep and add a bookmark to continue reading to them the next day. 

Depending on their age and grade level, they can read to you for thirty minutes to an hour. Furthermore, they can write down words that they can find in their books. Read to them without you getting bored or sleepy. Nevertheless, reading to them before their nap or before they go to sleep can help them develop language skills. Here are resources for reading to your children. 

 

5 Simple Tips for Reading to Children:

https://supersimple.com/article/5-simple-tips-for-reading-to-children/

Why is it Important to Read to Your Child:

https://childmind.org/article/why-is-it-important-to-read-to-your-child/

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