Tell me a story...

There are six early literacy skills that research has shown children need to know before they can learn to read. One of those is "Narrative Skills," or the ability to retell a story. Often with a young child, reading a favorite story over and over again and asking your child to repeat the story back to you is a good way to reinforce this skill. But it can be fun for older, school-age kids to practice this reading skill too.

Here's an idea for parents of school-age kids:
A fun activity that supports "Narrative Skills" or the ability to tell a story is for you and your child to write your own book or a few chapters of a book. When I was about 7, like many girls, I loved Nancy Drew mysteries. When I went to my grandmother's after school once a week, she would allow me to go into the bathroom off the kitchen and write a page or so of my own version of a Nancy Drew mystery. Ever interested in being mysterious, I would then slide the page under the door to her, and she would pause in her chores, write a continuation and slide it back under the door to me. Later on, we would read our story together. This is something that is so simple, yet so memorable to me, and that helped me with my reading and writing skills. It impresses me that my grandmother took the time to do this, after having worked day shift at the Hoover plant, and while trying to get supper on the table. It's something that doesn't take any money, not much time, and yet can help a child learn to value reading and writing and later help him or her in school.

If you'd like more ideas, leave a comment below and one of our librarians will help you come up with more games like this to help your child with their reading skills.
 
If you'd like to attend our next Massillon Ready to Read workshop on Saturday, May 21, call the Children's Department at (330) 832-5037 to sign up. All the details about that workshop are on our website: http://www.massillonlibrary.org/ReadytoRead.