Plant the Seed to Read - Tips for Raising a Healthy Reader

                                                                                               
As I was working in my garden on a recent spring morning, watching glorious plants bloom that I’d nurtured from tiny seeds, I realized this was a lovely metaphor for how we nurture a passion for reading in children.  As parents and teachers, we “plant the seed” of the joy and importance of reading in our kids and students.  Over time, if we are diligent (and lucky), the seed grows and thrives, and the child blossoms into a lifelong reader.  And, we hope, a perennial and not just an annual reader!

I’ve taken off my gardening gloves for a few moments to offer 6 Tips to Raise and Grow A Healthy Reader
                                                                                                        

• Start early: When we talk, read and even sing with children, we build their vocabularies.  This helps a child’s young brain form new links because they develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of their life.  It’s not unlike a plant, which must first develop a strong system of roots before it can grow toward the sky.
• Make sure you have lots of books and magazines around:  Kids are naturally curious, and if there is a lot of literature around, they’re more likely to pick it up to see what’s inside.  And if kids see you reading, you become an important role model.   Just as a plant needs nutrient-rich soil, a child needs an environment where reading is practiced and books are easily accessible.   
• Encourage your child or student to tell you a story:  This helps them learn communication skills, builds vocabulary and encourages creativity.   As with plants, we want kids to grow and develop so they can one day stand on their own. 
• Make reading out loud a daily habit:  Tending a garden is a daily (and often very satisfying) ritual.  Reading should be too.  Here is a great resource website to help:  IWantToRead.org
• Listen to audiobooks: Listening is an important element in developing literacy. You can listen in your garden! Try Tales2GO
• Sing a song together:  Songs help enhance pronunciation, grammatical structure, and vocabulary. Check out Cantata Learning for research on the importance of music on building literacy skills.

And to help inspire your little sprout of a reader, I have a charming story in my video library called “Billy’s New Plant.”  Remember, as a parent or teacher, you can be the light that helps grow a strong and healthy reader!