Book List
View and print the book list for kindergarten to second grade.
At-Home Activities
Model Positive Reading Habits
- Let your children see you read for pleasure.
- Share your excitement for reading with your kids. Talk about what you are reading and why you are reading it.
- Give books as presents for holidays or as rewards for special accomplishments.
- Make reading part of regular family activities
- Schedule time into your daily/weekly schedule for the whole family to sit down and read.
- Take a trip to the local bookstore, or an online bookstore, and shop for books as a family.
- Visit the library as a family; help each other select books to read.
- Attend readings by favorite authors at local bookstores and libraries. If possible, purchase the book and let your child get the author's signature or borrow the book from the library.
- Encourage older children to read to younger children (siblings, cousins, neighbors, pets and even stuffed animals make great audience members).
Read Aloud to Each Other
- Read your child's favorite stories aloud.
- Let your child read aloud to you. Reading the same book multiple times is natural and beneficial for new readers. You might also want to try reading a page to your child and then ask your child to read the same page back to you. Keep it fun or make it into a game.
- Practice the names of letters and the sounds the letters make. “Do you see the letter 'b' on the page? What sound does that letter make?”
- Practice the sounds in words with your child. Young children often do not hear all the sounds that make up words. Use rhyming words: cat-> hat -> mat -> bat. Sound words out with your child: “Where's your book? B-b-b--oooo-k.”
Create a Reading Environment in Your Home
- Set up a comfortable space in your home for reading, free from distractions like TV/computer/games/phones. Placing pillows or cushions on the floor is an easy way to make your regular space into a reading space.
- Have reading materials throughout your home and easily accessible to your children.
- Leave notes for your child’s lunch box or school bag, or around the house.
- Always bring a book to read on public transportation and when you anticipate having to wait in a line (like at the doctor's office).
- Create a special place for your children to keep their books in the home (a specific section of a bookshelf, a box in their room or in a designated place at home, etc.)
Talk about Books
- At dinner, or other informal times, ask your children about the book they are reading.
- Use reading questions to have deeper conversations about books.
- Share your childhood memories about reading and books. Talk about your own favorite kids' books and authors, your struggles/successes with reading, etc.
Provide Books Aligned to Your Child's Interests
- Notice what your child is most interested in reading and provide them with more reading materials on that topic/genre.
- Encourage relatives to give books as gifts. Suggest topics in which your child is interested.
- Ask a teacher or librarian for book suggestions —they usually know the new and popular reading material for children of different ages.