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The child's response matters more, so their saving grace is the question 'What do you think?' Reading thus becomes a 'Read and Tell' activity. The adult can then monitor the understanding of the child who would soon learn that reading expands his experience and expertise.

11. Show and teach children the various parts of the books and their importance. These include the titles below the illustrations and help children know the titles tell them about the pictures. Titles are usually the first words children learn to first read independently. Teach him the use of blurbs so that when he browses books to loan or buy, he will take a shorter time to make his decision.

12. If your child loves action, get resources on his favorite television program or movie. This is one better way to introduce materials of a higher reading age. Because of his keen interest to find out more, he will want to read on. Assure him that he does not need to read from page to page, or read every word.

13. A child below the age of five normally likes repeats. Read his favorite story using various tones in voice, using high and low pitches as you wish. Often, if he has seen animation based on the story, he will want to modify your voice for each character. As your child gains confidence and recollection of the story, point out familiar words for him to read.

14. Educational programs are often tied to children's television programs. Sesame Street has a comprehensive Read with Me program on compact discs. Get CDs playable on television sets and teach your child to operate the video player. Sit with your child through such reads. There are bound to be questions for you to answer, 'why this and that' being their favorite. Parents can turn their questions around and get them to think through, thus getting them to see reading as a quest for knowledge and not just barking out print.

15. Get your child to discover that words play an important role in our daily life - at shopping, visits to places of interest, at train stations, in restaurants - anywhere that requires access to information. Involve him in reading menus, recipes, food can labels, equipment operation manuals, in fact, anything with words on it!

16. Games are the best ways of learning to read. Board games, card games, word games such as Scrabble help children learn reading in the least suspicious and most fun way of learning to read.

Parents need to recognize that reading, as with learning, is lifelong. Teach a child how and where to fish and he will never starve. Teach a child to love reading and learning and he will do both till the day his eyes will read no more.

Learn more about this author, Lokemun Magar.
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