literacy begins at home When you send them back to school, give your children the gift of a lifetime… teach them to read Dear Parents: You are your child’s first and most important teacher. When you send them back to school, give your children the gift of a lifetime… teach them to read. The National Institute for Literacy has developed the Shining Stars booklet series for parents of children in preschool through grade three who are getting ready or learning to read. To order free copies: write to EdPubs, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398 or call 1 (800) 228-8813 or e-mail: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. These and other booklets on reading instruction can also be downloaded. Visit http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html. Paid for by the National Institute for Literacy. Checklist for Parents of toddlers Here are some ways you can help your child “get ready to read” during the ages of 2 and 3. I read with my child every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes. I encourage my child to bring his favorite books to me so that we can read together. I point to pictures and name them out loud, and encourage my child to point to pictures while we read. I watch to see if my child sometimes makes eye contact with me when I read aloud. That tells me she is paying attention to me and the story. I talk with my child throughout the day about things we are doing and things that are happening around us. I try to be patient when my child wants to read the same book over and over again. I encourage my child to “play” with books—pick them up, flip them from front to back, and turn the pages. S ometimes I listen when my child “pretends” to read a book—he holds the book, goes from page to page, and says words, even though they’re not the words on the page. I give my child paper and crayons so she can scribble, make pictures, and pretend to write. Checklist for Parents of preschoolers Here are some ways you can help your child “get ready to read” during the ages of 4 and 5. I