At Raglan Public School we are committed to promoting reading from birth to five years. If you are not sure what books are suitable for children click on our book list for some ideas.

The following are some helpful hints for parents and grandparents:

• It’s never too early to start reading to your child - the sooner the better.
You can even start before they are born.
• Read aloud every day for at least ten minutes. Make it part of the daily
routine and try to make it at the same time: ‘story time’. Before bed is
okay, but don’t encourage children to go to sleep when you read.
• Read aloud three or four short stories every day. If your child loves a book
then read it again and again and again.
• Read all types of stories including picture books, beginning readers and
especially those with repetition and rhyme.
• Read with expression, feeling and animation. Make it soft and make it
loud, but not too scary. Try using different voices for different characters.
Read the story with your face as well as your voice.
• Share the reading with your child, maybe page by page, or even book by
book. Let children play with, touch and handle the book. Let them help
you turn the pages and learn how books work.
• Let them laugh and giggle and sing the words you read. They will learn
to read it just like you.
• Talk about the pictures and the words as you read but make it a game …
not work or ‘learning’. Reading is FUN!
• Let your child have opportunities to choose a book to read.
• During reading time turn off any possible sources of distraction, like the
television and radio so that you and your child can be absorbed by the
story!
• Let your child see that you value and enjoy reading, and that it is a
worthwhile and pleasurable activity. Children are great copiers.
• Make reading a family activity – brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles,
and grandparents can do the reading too. Remember, both mums and
dads can read!