by Kathy Stemke

Created on: June 07, 2010

Start reading to your child at birth, and make it a ritual of fun and togetherness.  Read often, and create a cozy reading corner in your child's room with a variety of good, age appropriate books.

Make each book an adventure by adding fun activities that you can share with your child.  With reluctant readers it is important to find subjects that your child is interested in.  For instance, many young boys love dinosaurs.  Take advantage of their fascination in this subject to show them that reading books and doing fun activities can be very rewarding.  Once you have them hooked, you can expand to many other non fiction and fiction books.  Here are a few dinosaur books with activities that you can modify to fit your situation.

"'Dinosaurs' That Swam and Flew" By David C. Knight

1. Use the names of dinosaurs to create new names for foods (Rhamphorhynchus raisins, Plesiosaurus pizza, Apatasaurus  asparagus). Then have them write a menu for lunch using these "new foods".

2. Sing this song and do the moving away actions.

(tune: I Wish I Were an Oscar Meyer Wiener)

Oh I Want to Be a giant grumpy Dino,
That is what I really want to be!
For if I were a giant grumpy Dino,
Everyone would run away from me. . .
Ahhhhhhhh!

Additional Verses:
jump away from me
crawl away from me                                                                                                                                                                                                      

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