Early Literacy Tip – June 2020

Know When to Stop or Keep Going

Learning to read isn’t a linear process. Being able to know when your child is done or wants to read again helps build a fun relationship with reading. 

It’s okay to not finish a book! If your child does not want to sit for the book, does not want to finish the story, or wants to skip 10 pages right in the middle, let that be okay. By forcing your child to finish the book and read it the “correct” way, the process is no longer fun and playful. Establish early on that reading is a fun activity by allowing it to end when it is no longer fun for your child. 

At the same time, be prepared to read the same book multiple times. When children find a book they particularly like, they are likely to ask to have it read to them repeatedly. This also helps keep reading fun. While reading the same book may be tedious for the grownup, your child will delight in hearing their favorite story read to them again and again.