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Celebrate
Children’s Book Week with your children, April 30-May 6
Melissa Martin, Ph.D., LPCC-S
Celebrate Children’s Book Week with your children, April 30-May 6
Schools and libraries highlight Children’s Book Week each year, and so
can parents in their home. Make reading a family tradition. And make
reading fun!
Children’s Book Week is April 30 through May 6. Established in 1919,
Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy
initiative in the U.S. Every year, events are held nationwide at
schools, libraries, bookstores, and homes.
Every Child a Reader is a nonprofit organization supported by the
Children’s Book Council to promote Children’s Book Week, which is
“Dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in children and teens across
America.” www.cbcbooks.org.
The 2018 theme is One World, Many Stories. Each year children’s book
illustrators are chosen to create bookmarks, which can be downloaded
and printed from the Every Child a Reader website at no cost. Over 50
children’s book authors and illustrators will be spotlighted during
Children’s Book Week. Visit the website at www.everychildareader.net.
How can parents and grandparents celebrate with younger children? Throw
a book party and invite friends. Celebrate one picture book daily for
the week. Reading aloud with children is the most important activity
for parents and caregivers to do to prepare children to learn to read.
Visit your local public library for story time sessions for babies,
toddlers, and younger children.
Create a special place for your child to keep his/her picture books.
Browse the children’s book isle at your local bookstore with your
child. Show kids that you are excited about reading.
Launching Young Readers is a public television series designed for
teachers, parents, and caregivers, interested in helping children learn
to read. Based on the latest research findings, the series consists of
30-minute television programs that explore the stages of reading that
every child goes through. The programs feature the country's top
reading experts and explores different reading strategies. Personal
stories of children, families, and teachers are
included.www.readingrockets.org/.
Reader’s Digest developed a list of 10 tips to make reading fun for
children:
1. Read every day, even for a few minutes to show that reading is a
daily routine.
2. Create a cozy and comfortable place to read together,
3. Let children help choose what book to read.
4. Talk about the title, book cover, and author.
5. Change your voice to go with characters and action. Tell a lively
story.
6. Show the pictures as you read.
7. After you finish the book, talk about the story.
8. Make a connection to something in the story to your child’s life.
9. Ask questions: What did you like about the book? What made you
laugh? What surprised you?
10. Read both fiction and nonfiction books. www.rd.com/.
According to Scholastic’s Kids and Family Reading Report, 70 percent of
kids’ ages 6 to 17 want books that make them laugh. Reading and
laughing go together.
Helping Your Child Become a Confident Reader and Writer Starting from
Birth, downloadable booklet (no cost), offers ways to nurture early
literacy skills via daily interactions with children from birth to 5
years. www.zerotothree.org/.
Try reading the following books to baby: Baby Faces, Baby Babble, Baby
Peekaboo, Baby Night-Night. These books by Kate Merritt are in the
Indestructibles series. Slobbering and gnawing is allowed.
Try the Happy Healthy Baby Series by Elizabeth Verdick and Marjorie
Lisovskis. These sturdy-format books include tips for parents. Titles
include: Cuddle, Reach, Move, Eat, Play, Rest.
“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read
to a child.” That’s what Dr. Seuss said.
Melissa Martin, PhD, is an author, columnist, educator, and therapist.
She resides in Southern Ohio. www.melissamartinchildrensauthor.com.
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