This inspiring little video shows people from all walks of life, all socio-economic levels, all ages, famous and not, ALL READING!  Join them, and Get Caught Reading!

Read to them!  Read to them!  Read to them! 

Research has repeatedly shown that children who are consistently exposed to reading become better readers.  Here are just a few ways to infuse more reading into your family life...

• Read aloud to them - doesn't matter how old they are! 
• Let them read aloud to you. 
• Let them see you reading your paper, your favorite magazine, a book - and talk to them  about what you are reading. 
• Fill your house with reading materials.   Get magazines made for children.  Visit your school's book fairs.  Go to the book store together.
• Have a magazine/book rack in the bathroom - captive audience!
• Have a bed-side table that holds books and a reading lamp.  Allow your child to end each day reading - even for 5 minutes!  (That's an additional 1,825 minutes of reading in a year!)
• Check out books on tape/CD to listen to in the car.  Stop the tape to talk about interesting points or difficult vocabulary. 
• Turn off the TV, DS, and computer a little every day.  The average child engages in these activities between 2-3 hours per day.  (That is 14-21 hours per week!)
• Go to the library together. 
• Make the most of your child's interests.  If they show interest in something, try to find a book on their reading level that can teach them more!

You can make a huge difference in your child's reading abilities - Make it a priority in your home!

The Read Aloud Handbook

Parents - If you are looking for a motivating, quick read to assist you in helping your child become a better reader, you don't want to miss this book!  The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease offers a very clear picture of what a tremendous impact our reading aloud to our children has on their reading and academic growth.  Complete with reading lists for all different ages and interests, every parent should have a copy of this book! 

The Five Finger Rule

To find a "Just Right Book,"  just use the "Five Finger Rule!"  You don't want one that is too hard, or one that is too easy!  Here is how the "Five Finger Rule" works:

• Open the book up to any one page and read it.
• Start with a closed fist.  For every word that you don't know, put up one finger.
• If you get 4 or 5 fingers, the book is too hard!
• If you get 0 fingers, the book is too easy - challenge your brain a little bit!
• If you get 1 or 2 fingers, the book is just right.  Use the pictures and the rest of the sentence to help you figure out what the word means.
• If you get 3 fingers, test one more page, just to make sure!