Creating a Reading-Friendly Environment
Enrich your child's reading environment at home or in the classroom.
There’s always room to read! Here are some tips to make your space a word- and story-rich environment.
Reading Area
Devote an area in your space to reading. Fill it with shelves or baskets of books (you can get armfuls at the library!), comfy seating, and soft light so that children can cuddle up as they settle into a book with a friend or family member. You can also find lots of digital stories to read on this site.
Labels
Using blank sticky notes or labels, help children create labels for the objects all around them. Attach them to the matching objects. Point to and read them together as you notice them throughout the day.
Reading Everywhere
Reading happens everywhere, not just in libraries, on couches, or at desks. Take something to read wherever you go.
Hidden Notes
Leave short, playful notes in unexpected places (drawers, lunchboxes, shoes). When kids find them, you can help them read them.
Reading Time
Read together every day as part of kids’ everyday routine. Older kids may like to read independently, so you can read alongside them (let them see you enjoy reading, too)!
Buzzing About Books
As children grow, they can engage with books (and caring grown-ups!) in special ways.
A Star Reader
There are many steps to reading, and all are important to becoming a great reader. It’s a process!
Grow, Grow, Grow!
A story about Elmo and his daddy using a book to grow a flower.
One More Time
There are lots of different ways to share the same story, again and again!
Tips for Shared Reading with Children Birth to Three
Tips for using reading time to bond with your child and build their language and literacy skills.
Tips for Shared Reading with Children Three to Five
Tips to make shared reading a time for learning and connection.
A Mighty Voice
Finding confidence in the ways that you tell stories will make them even more special to the children you share them with.
