If you have younger children  in your group, encourage their parents to rise to the challenge of reading to them every day. Have a “read to your bunny” session at the beginning of each class (an easy family activity!), and create and pass out a “Read to Your Bunny” log, so that parents can keep track of how often they are reading and/or looking at books with their child at home. Check this log periodically and consider an award for the parent who reads with their child the most or for all parents who consistently read to their child at least an hour or two  (in total) each week.

To introduce the “Read to Your Bunny” program, tell parents that one of the best ways they can help their child to succeed is to make reading a part of their daily routine. If parents are reluctant to read because of their own literacy skills, remind them that looking at the pictures in a book and creating their own story with their young child is just as good as reading the actual words on the page. The important thing is that parents, kids, and books spend quality time together.

A special challenge to parents is to have their children spend more time reading than watching TV!

Visit www.rosemarywells.com/teacher.html for a short essay on reading to children to share with the parents, plus highlights of related research.