Stories can be heard or told, read or written, and experienced. The message of the most important stories we tell our children is how much they are loved. Children who feel loved love themselves and other people, and they love to learn.
Spotlight: Maine Family Literacy Initiative Partnership
Reading is one of the best ways parents can help their
Mrs. Barbara Bush Reads to Children at First Steps Childcare in Springvale
children develop a love of books and enjoy a lifetime of reading. However, access to books and the parent's own literacy level can create barriers to making that happen. The Libra Foundation and the Barbara Bush Foundation are working together to help overcome those barriers. The two foundations fund Raising Readers and the Maine Family Literacy Initiative (MEFLI) respectively.
Owen Wells Reading at the Kickoff Celebration in September
The latest collaboration between these two private foundations involves the development of Literacy Explorer Kits based on the Raising Readers books that are in distribution to Maine families. The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy funded the development of the Explorer Kits, which include helpful tips about reading, important child developmental information, playgroup ideas for children and their parents together, and fun activities to help parents extend learning in the home. The Explorer Kits integrate books Maine families receive from the Raising Readers program into family literacy programming, which will help children and their families get the most out of their books. The Explorer Kits are available for individual parents, family literacy programs, and other interested organizations, and can be easily downloaded on the Raising Readers or MEFLI websites.
Reading aloud to your child every day is important. Reading gives your baby the words, sounds and pictures that can help the brain grow.
1. Use the pictures in the book to make up your own story!
2. Keep books where children can reach them - in a basket on the floor or a low bookshelf.
3. Share books with your child at bedtime.
4. Talk about what's happening in the story with your child.
5. Act out what's happening in the story.
6.Use different voices for each character in the story.
7.Take your child to the library for story hour. Pick out more books to read together while you're there.
Why Wait? Join Us on Social Media. While this newsletter provides in depth information on a monthly basis you can stay in touch with Raising Readers daily or weekly by joining us on Facebook or by following our blog. It's a great way to engage in conversation with us or with other families across Maine.
Let us know what you're thinking about reading with your kids. Or read parent reviews of favorite Raising Readers books. We hope to create a community of Maine families helping one another to raise a new generation of readers in Maine.
