Parents, when you help your children learn to read, you help them open the door to a big, exciting world. As a parent, you can begin an endless learning chain like this: You read to your children, they develop a love of stories and poems, they want to read on their own, they practice reading, and finally, they read for their own information or pleasure. When children become readers, their world is forever wider and richer.

Studies have shown that children that are read to on a consistent basis begin to develop both communication and thinking skills at a much younger age than children that arent read to on a consistent basis. In addition, those skills continue to progress and develop much more rapidly in children that are read to consistently. This progression of skills will continue as long as you spend quality time reading with them.

Children appreciate the quality time you spend with them reading books and enjoy good stories as well!

Here are some things you can do to make sure you get your daily readings with your children:

• Read aloud to your children: books, newspaper and magazine articles, the back of the cereal box, labels on cans, or directions anything with appropriate printed material on it is

• Read poems aloud together to learn about rhythm and repeated sounds in language.

• Point to the words on the page when you read. Move your finger from left to right.

• Listen to your children read homework or favorite stories to you every day.

• Go to the library together and check out books. Be sure to ask the librarian for good books or to help you find what you need.

• Have books, magazines, and papers around the house, and let your child see that you like to read, too.

• Encourage older children to read to younger children.

• Help experienced readers talk and write about what they read.

• Develop a quality nighttime ritual of reading a few books with your children.

Remember, giving your children a head start in life requires spending time with them and part of that time should be spent with a good book!

(some information for this article provided by FDA Consumer Magazine)