Northwest Territories Literacy Council

• What's New
• Family Literacy
• Adult Literacy and Essential Skills
• Aboriginal Languages
• Digital Literacy
• Community Development
• Research
• Resources
• Literacy Facts
• Plain Language
• PGIs for Literacy
• Links
• E-News
• About the NWT Literacy Council

Helping Your Child Learn to Read - Tips for Parents

What can I do to help my child learn to read?

• Let him/her see you reading.
• Share books together
• Point out the print that is all around us. Look at street signs, supermarket labels, posters.
• Make scrapbooks from photos or old magazines.
• Cook together

Steps for Reading With Your Child

• Choose a book from the library or from your home.
• Take turns reading aloud, or tell the story by looking at the pictures.
• Talk about what's happening in the story.
• Help your child with difficult words.
• Praise your child.

Board Games and Card Games

• Board games and card games will help your child to match pictures and words. This is an important reading skill. Games make it fun.
• Board games can help your child begin to understand maps and plans.
• Games will also help with numbers.
• Play games that encourage your children to read like Monopoly & Scrabble.

What can I do to help my children learn to write?

Let your child watch you when you:

• fill in forms
• write letters
• write birthday cards
• make notes
• pay bills
• write shopping lists

What materials will I need to encourage writing at home?

• lots of paper
• pens, pencils, crayons
• scissors, glue
• old envelopes or greeting cards for kids to copy
• little blank books for children to make their own stories
• a box to keep all the material in

Make your own games!

• Make a snap or matching game by matching words and their picture.

Bear         Book

      

• Use playing cards to make up number games for your children. Or play snap or war.
• Make a word game with letters and pictures. Give each player a pile of picture cards. Turn up the letter cards one by one. If you have a picture beginning with that letter, you keep the card and cover the picture with it. The winner is the first person to cover all their pictures.

Baby

Download PDF version (140k)