Read it LOUD! Parents' Corner

Read aloud and become a family of readers

Here in the Parents’ Corner you’ll find resources, activities and information to enrich your read aloud experiences.

At home with reading

Learn how and why to make room for books in your house in the links below.

Creating a Reader-Friendly Home

Get ideas from KidsHealth for building an appealing reading area in your house and how to keep it well stocked.

Making Room for Literacy

This Center for Early Literacy Learning video describes how to create a literacy-rich home environment.

Home Literacy Environment Checklist

Use this literacy checklist from Get Ready to Read to measure your home reading environment.

Parent Tip of the Month

Got favorite books and authors? Subscribe to their publisher’s free monthly newsletter! Publishers like HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin, Random House, Scholastic and Simon & Schuster publish multiple children's books every month and have newsletters filled with resources and information about new books. Find more children’s book publishers through the Children’s Book Council membership list.


More Tips for Parents

Here’s more advice for parents looking to enhance their read aloud skills and create a family of readers.

Born to Read

This compilation of resources from the Association for Library Services to Children offers ideas and inspiration for fostering a love of reading.

Read to Me

Especially for younger parents, the Read to Me program offers these Reading FAQs.

SAG Storyline Online

Learn read aloud techniques from professional actors as you watch stories read aloud on the Screen Actors Guild Storyline Online.

Build Basic Skills the High-Tech Way

As you read aloud with your child and watch his interest in learning grow, provide additional opportunities to help him better understand how words and language work. Though these computer-based learning experiences are designed for kids, your child will gain more if you are playing along beside him.

Learn Your ABCs

With kid-friendly navigation,Starfall's ABC section teaches kids letter-sound relationships for each letter of the alphabet.

What’s the Word on the Street

Sesame Street Workshop offers a number of online games, videos, and resources, including these printable activity sheets for building vocabulary.

Kneebouncers

Explore learning concepts with these easy-to-navigate computer games from Kneebouncers.

Storykit

Storykit is a free iPhone app from theInternational Children’s Digital Librarythat parents and children can use to create picture books of their own.

Low-Tech Reading and Learning Fun

There are likely plenty of reading fun resources in your house masquerading as everyday household items. For example, eggs, food coloring and lunchmeat are easily transformed into green eggs and ham. The following links have more ideas for simple ways to engage your child in reading fun.

Reading Activity Calendar

The PBS Kids Raising Readers Reading Activity Calendar has find fun, simple suggestions for making reading a part of everyday life.

Book Factory

In this article, Scholastic offers creative ideas for making books with your child.

25 Activities for Reading and Writing Fun

These activities developed by national reading experts are featured on Reading Rockets.

Photo source: peterme (Flickr-Creative Commons)