Winter Reading Challenge
Winter is a great time to start a new book!
As the weather begins to turn cold and we start spending more time inside, starting a winter reading challenge is a great way to work on literacy and to cozy up and spend time with your family! This can look different depending on how old your child is.
When reading with babies and toddlers, board books are a great place to start. They often have high contrast pictures and are easy for your little one to hold. This makes reading books very exciting and interactive! Studies show that early introduction to literacy assists your child with their language skills by developing vocabulary, self-expression and reading comprehension. Reading can take place every day at any time that works best for your family: during tummy time, before naps, or during play time.
If your child is elementary school age, you can create a routine where reading takes place during wind down time before bed. Reading aloud with this age is a great way to practice identifying sight words, answering simple comprehension questions, and making predictions of what could happen during your next reading time. At this age, you can read your favorite children’s books that are rich in vocabulary and pictures, or a small chapter book!
When reading with your older kids, you can plan to read a book together for 20 minutes each day. It can be read aloud, or read independently and plan to have discussions as a family about the selected pages that were read. During these discussions, you can review what happened during the selection of pages that were read. This is also a great age to work on vocabulary, inferences and making predictions. You can also make a reading log and mark down how many pages were read each day. This can make the challenge fun and shows your child how much they accomplished!
If finding time to read with your kiddo is challenging during the day or evening, audio books are a great way to explore literacy! Driving to and from school or even to a family gathering around the holidays is a great time to listen to a story. You can still work on language skills such as comprehension, sequencing, and vocabulary while listening. Audio books are also great for working on imagery we build in our minds while listening to the story. At the end of your drive, you can describe to each other what your brain saw while hearing the details of the story! Audio books are also a fun way to follow along with a physical book. Studies show it can help your child with recognizing sight words and decoding of words they are unsure of!