Raising a Reader

• Visit your library often.
• Get your children their own library cards.
• Try a short story hour or other free event at the library.
• Read to your children, even after they become independent readers.
• Set an example by reading a variety of books/materials.
• Have books readily available at home and school
• Expose your child to a variety of genres
• Read a mystery together and try to figure out the clues.
• Share some of your favorite childhood books with your own children
• Have your child bring a book(s) with them when you're running errands, waiting for an appointment, etc.

Use the Five Finger Rule to choose a book at your reading level:

1. Open up your book to a page in the middle.
   
   
2. Read the page.
   
   
3. Hold up a finger for every word you do not know.
   
   
4. If you have 5 fingers up at the end of the page, the book is too difficult for you to read by yourself.
   
   
5. If you have no fingers up, the book may be too easy! You can still read it for fun though!