Parents Iman Solomon and Terri James Solomon suggest you:

• Encourage young children to hold and look through books
• Ask questions and discuss books when reading aloud
• Start reading to children from birth
• When reading aloud, try changing voices for different characters
• Choose books that reflect your child's interests
• Don't overlook nonfiction books, especially for boys
• Enable children to make books
• Maintain regular contact with teachers
• Approach teachers as partners
• Create opportunities to show appreciation to teachers
• Recognize teachers have children's best interest at heart
• Become familiar with educational benchmarks and talk with teachers about your child's progress

Like Adam Schwartz and Michele McDonald-Schwartz:

• Attend school meetings
• Remember, a book can't be too easy
• Introduce a wide variety of books
• Use reading strategies that support your child's learning style
• Read aloud books that are above your child's reading level
• Occasionally check your child's comprehension
• Help uneasy readers by starting with simple versions of books, then advance to the next level, or introduce the story as a movie to see and hear before reading
• If your child needs help writing, ask questions – Who? What? Where? – get rough ideas onto paper together, then revise
• Enable children to verbalize their ideas before writing
• Remember, learning to write and having fun go together

Laurie Joy Haas, Executive Producer of Words that Cook!™ and co-author of Read it Aloud! A parent's guide to sharing books with young children, and Honey the Cookie-Bookie Bear suggest that you:

• Encourage children to write with writing boxes
• Don’t tell children when or how to use their writing boxes
• Over time, add exciting new items: stencils, chalk and rulers
• Choose personalized gifts like favorite stamps and stickers ... even books about art
• Add only safe, age-appropriate writing tools

Literacy Consultant Dr. Miriam Marecek suggests you:

• Consider observing your child in the classroom
• Talk to the teacher about any literacy concerns
• If you meet with the principal, include the teacher
• Help teachers understand children's emotions
• Let children know you and the teacher talk to each other
• Read a favorite book to your child's class
• Share special occasions with your child at school

Dad Craig Ross recommends you:

• Remember, fantasy play is storytelling
• Consider testing to understand your child's needs
• Become aware of your child's learning style
• Be proactive in supporting your child's education
• Learn the language from testing in order to communicate
• Meet with teachers at the start of each school year
• Continue to meet face-to-face on complex issues
• Be involved in your school system and local politics

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