Tip #40: Help Choose Appropriate Books For Your Child

According to "The Mom Book Goes To School", when choosing Books to read aloud to your child, give your reading selections balance and range.  That brings us to tip # 40.  Exposing your child to all forms of literature, form science fiction to fairy tales, newspaper articles to riddles, will encourage him/her to be a well rounded reader and improve his higher level thinking skills. Below are some suggestions to choosing the best books for your child:

Tip #40: Help your child choose appropriate books to read and enjoy.
1. Consider your child's abilities.

2. Look at length, difficulty, and your child's attention span when choosing a book.

3. Allow more independence with reading material as the child grows older.

4. Pick books written by Newbery Medal -winning authors. These books will have a gold or silver emblem on their front cover.

5. Pick stories with clear messages and social context to help your child learn basic values and develop decision-making skills.

6. Many books for younger readers have pictures, get some without pictures so your child can visualize what happens in the story or let your child illustrate it.

7. For excellent suggestions on newly released children's titles, The American Library Association and my book, "A Parents Handbook: How to Get the Best Education Possible K-6", compiles a list of notable children's books.