Talk to your child about what he or she is reading. Ask open-ended questions such as “What do you think about that story?” “What would you have done if you were that character?”

Make reading and writing a regular part of your daily home activities. Let your child see you using reading and writing for real purposes.

Visit the public library. Help your child to get his or her own library card.

Read to your child regularly, even after your child is able to read some books independently.

Listen to your child read. Use strategies to help your child with tricky words. For example, when your child comes to an unfamiliar word, you might say, “Skip it and read to the end of the sentence. Now try again – what makes sense and looks like the word that you see?”

Praise your child’s efforts at reading.

Play word games such as thinking of different words to describe the same things.

Support your child’s writing. Have writing materials such as paper, markers, and pencils available. Read what your child writes.

Set reasonable limits for television viewing.

Adapted from Mraz, Padak, & Baycich (2002).