Cabin Fever

“I … do … not … like … them … Sam … I … am.”

The deliberate cadence of a child plodding through each syllable of Green Eggs and Ham is a familiar sound in the homes of kids learning to read. Our 6-year-old daughter, Ellen, is tackling the challenge to read with gusto and nonstop requests to revisit the library.

For children this age, the ability to read opens a new world for fresh eyes — a world full of words. And the adventure isn’t confined to books. The morning cereal box transforms from a colorful food container into a source of games and word puzzles. Once illegible road signs now give insight to driving etiquette and navigation. Then there’s the ultimate benefit of cracking the once top-secret code grown-ups use of spelling out words intended to slip undeciphered past a child’s listening ears.

Reading is more than putting letters together to form words and sentences. Education analysts consider literacy to be the cornerstone of learning; they also insist that parents play a vital role in a child’s reading proficiency. The U.S. Department of Education offers the following suggestions for parents to help their 5- and 6-year-olds develop solid reading skills:

• Read to and with your child for 30 minutes every day.
• Keep plenty of children’s books in your home and visit the library regularly.
• Let your child see you reading for fun.
• Have an ample supply of paper and crayons available for your child to practice writing.
• Limit the amount of TV your child watches.

— Scott DeNicola

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On This Topic

• Introduction • More Ways to Break the Fever • Indoor Games Galore • Read Into It