Making Literacy a Part of Your Life

Literacy is not just learned in school; it's learned everywhere. Students can learn about literacy from reading subway signs and cereal boxes as well as listening to family stories in their home languages and exploring the Internet.
Some general things you can do to encourage your children’s literacy skills:

• Talk with your children about things that interest them.
• Ask questions that encourage your children to observe and learn, questions that prompt them to talk in sentences rather than give yes or no answers. Speaking and listening strengthen reading and writing skills.
• Listen to their questions and help them get the answers. Teach your children ways to find information on their own by using books and the computer.
• Speak to your children using a lot of different words. Talk together about any words that they do not understand. This will build an awareness of words and a rich vocabulary.
• Enrich your children’s environment by taking them to zoos, libraries, museums, sports or cultural events. Talk about the experience together.
• Go with your children to listen to talks by favorite authors at libraries, bookstores, book festivals and community centers.
• Read to your children regularly. If you start reading stories to a newborn for just 10 minutes a day, that child will have heard more than 3,000 hours of stories by the time he or she enters school. Even after children can read for themselves, reading aloud to them will establish reading as an important part of daily life and will contribute greatly to their literacy skills.
• Show your children how to use language to get things done. For instance, show them how to read a menu, find a good Web site, write a thank-you letter or present their views on some current topic of interest.
• Get involved in your children’s classrooms whenever parents are invited. All the students will be enriched when you share your stories, cultural background and resources with them, and your children will see that you value their education.
• Encourage your children to read all different kinds of books — from stories and literature to biographies, poetry and information books on their favorite subjects.
• Check out and download books from the library. Download books in different formats (audiobooks or CDs, videos, DVDs) to your computer or portable device.
• Encourage your children to use their literacy skills to help others. For instance, your daughter could read to younger children or to elders, and she could write letters, telephone messages and grocery lists.
• Help your children plan for the future and to see how literacy skills will empower them to reach important goals.
• Speak and read to your children in your home language. You will build strong literacy skills in both the home language and English.
• Tell family stories and encourage your children to tell stories to you. You will build a strong family connection to literacy.