Using the library

Teaching Pre K-8, Feb 2000 by Kines, Barbara

In our eagerness to help our beginning readers get off on the right foot, it's easy to overlook some tried-andtrue tips. The International Reading Association has a brochure, "Explore the Playground of Books: Tips for Parents of Beginning Readers," that parents of our youngest book lovers can use to help their children grow as readers. There are ideas for building a child's reading confidence, selecting good books for children who are learning to read, and using the local library, Suggestions for using the library include:

1 .Make library visits a regularly-- scheduled family activity,

2. Get a library card for yourself and for your child as soon as the child can write his or her name.

3. Attend library story-hours together.

4. Help your child choose books, but be sure to allow the child's own choices as well.

5. Use the computers to look up titles and authors.

6. As soon as you get home with your library books, write their due dates on the calendar.

Parents do their most effective teaching by example; you can demonstrate that reading is important to you simply by making the library a familiar part of your family members' lives.

Barbara Kines is a former teacher of kindergarten-primary grades. She is a Teaching Editor of Teaching K-8 and lives in Lutherville, MD. Email: bkines@erols.com