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"Start with a Book has done the work for you. As a busy parent, I've come to realize that this is my one-stop shop for book ideas and other learning resources when my kids ask me questions about music, dinosaurs, buildings ... and the list goes on."

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Start with a Book | Explore great children's books and activities in science, social studies, arts and literature

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"Start with a Book has done the work for you. As a busy parent, I've come to realize that this is my one-stop shop for book ideas and other learning resources when my kids ask me questions about music, dinosaurs, buildings ... and the list goes on."

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How can I help my TK child improve their reading?

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How can I help my TK child improve their reading?

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Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers

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Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developinga lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child!The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child becomea happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week.

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How can I help my kindergartner improve their reading?

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How can I help my kindergartner improve their reading?

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Reading Tips for Parents of Kindergartners

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Play with letters, words, and sounds! Having fun with language helps your child learn to crack the code of reading. The tips below offersome fun ways you can help your child become a happy andconfident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best foryour child.

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How can I help my 1st grader improve their reading?

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How can I help my 1st grader improve their reading?

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How can I help my second grader improve their reading?

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How can I help my second grader improve their reading?

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Reading Tips for Parents of Second Graders

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Find ways to read, write, and tell stories together with your child.Always applaud your young reader and beginning story writer! Thetips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become ahappy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See whatworks best for your child.

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How can I help my third grader improve their reading?

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How can I help my third grader improve their reading?

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Reading Tips for Parents of Third Graders

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Read about it, talk about it, and think about it! Find ways for yourchild to build understanding, the ultimate goal of learning how toread. The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your childbecome a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. Seewhat works best for your child.

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Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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For Students - Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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Kindergarteners - they're growing up, and so is their taste in books. They're developing relationships with other children, acquiring empathy. Reading aloud to children lets them see how different characters in different situations behave toward others. It also helps children understand the way language works.

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Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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For Students - Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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For Students - Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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Common Questions Parents Ask About Reading!

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Common Questions Parents Ask About Reading!

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Help Your Child Build Background Knowledge

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Help Your Child Build Background Knowledge

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"Start with a Book has done the work for you. As a busy parent, I've come to realize that this is my one-stop shop for book ideas and other learning resources when my kids ask me questions about music, dinosaurs, buildings ... and the list goes on."

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Start with a Book | Explore great children's books and activities in science, social studies, arts and literature

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"Start with a Book has done the work for you. As a busy parent, I've come to realize that this is my one-stop shop for book ideas and other learning resources when my kids ask me questions about music, dinosaurs, buildings ... and the list goes on."

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20 Ways to Help Your Child be a Stronger Reader (in Espanol tambien

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Apps are fun and motivating for kids! Let Reading Rockets help you find the very best educational apps that provide practice with essential skills in print awareness, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. We've also included apps for children with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder that support organization and goal-setting, language and communication, and emotional regulation.

Find more recommendations, from the experts at Common Sense Education: Apps and Websites to Build Literacy Skills: Top Picks.

Recommended Apps by Topic

Apps that give kids tools for communicating with others, through simple pictures, picture-based stories, and text-to-speech. (Selected especially for children with autism or Aspergers.)

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Apps are fun and motivating for kids! Let Reading Rockets help you find the very best educational apps that provide practice with essential skills in print awareness, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. We've also included apps for children with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder that support organization and goal-setting, language and communication, and emotional regulation.

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Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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For Students - Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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How to help your 2nd grader be successful

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How to help your 2nd grader be successful

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How to help your 1st grader be successful

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How to help your 1st grader be successful

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How can I help my third grader be more successful?

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How can I help my third grader be more successful?

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Cómo ayudar a su hijo a ser un mejor lector

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Cómo ayudar a su hijo a ser un mejor lector

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كيف تساعد طفلك على أن يكون قارئًا أفضل

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كيف تساعد طفلك على أن يكون قارئًا أفضل

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Getting your child ready for TK/kindergarten is important - and chances are you've already been doing it all along! Talking, reading, and singing with your child are three simple, free ways to prepare your child for school and for life.

Starting TK or kindergarten is an exciting milestone for your child. Here are some ways you can help prepare your child for the big day.
Social-Emotional/Behavior:

Let your child play! Activities like imaginary/make-believe, board games, and "cooperative" or team games (like soccer) are great examples.

Read books about kindergarten or going to school and talk about them together.

Encourage independence throughout the day. This can include having your child get dressed on her own (or with minimal help) in the morning or taking on small daily tasks and routines like clearing her plate or filling her water bottle.

Encourage consistent hygiene skills like washing hands before and after meals.

Language:

Read with your child, and point out letters, numbers, and shapes as you turn each page.

Sing with your child. Rhyming songs and songs with repeated rhythm patterns are fun - along with your own favorite tunes, of course!

Talk with your child, tell him about your day and what you're doing, and ask him questions about his day.

Give your child simple, step-by-step directions to follow. For example, when cooking together, explain the steps you'd like your child to complete along the way.

Motor:

Let your child practice large muscle movements, like running, climbing, and jumping.

Encourage your child to play using small muscle movements. Stringing beads, building blocks, and rolling out play dough are all great ideas.

Encourage writing using all types of materials, including crayons, chalk, and paint brushes.

Help your child learn how to use blunt-tipped safety scissors - not just cutting skills, but how to hold scissors safely.

Encourage drawing and coloring, and talk about your child's artwork together.

Work with your child to learn to write her name.

Academics:

Sing, read, and talk about the alphabet.

Talk about colors and shapes.

Count numbers up to 30, and even sing about them.

Teach your child her full name, parent's names, and phone number.

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How to Prepare My Kid for TK/Kindergarten | First 5 California

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Getting your child ready for TK/kindergarten is important - and chances are you've already been doing it all along! Talking, reading, and singing with your child are three simple, free ways to prepare your child for school and for life. Starting TK or kindergarten is an exciting milestone for your child.

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HEADQUARTERS 701 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield, CA 93301 Phone: 661.868.0700 Fax: 661.868.0799 © Kern County Library, 2020

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This library of resources connects you with free, downloadable materials and organizations that support your child's early learning.

Raising Readers Resources

Raising Readers' Book Lists are lists for you to explore with your little. See every picture book we've ever given on a master list or filtered by age group (2, 3, 4, and 5 year old books).
Reading Tips Sheets for parents
Early Literacy throughout the Year are handouts offering a year's worth of ideas and activities to help you advance your child's emergent literacy skills.

January: Setting the Scene for Literacy - printable download

February: Creating a Love of Literacy - printable download

March: Promoting Oral Language - printable download

April: Building Vocabulary - printable download

May: Learning How Text Works - printable download

June: Playing with Sounds of Language - printable download

July: Building World Knowledge - printable download

August: Promoting Letter Recognition - printable download

September: Connecting Letters and Sounds - printable download

October: Building Genre Awareness - printable download

November: Building Comprehension - printable download

December: Promoting Writing - printable download

Maine Resources

Book Fairy Pantry Project is a family literacy movement sharing gently used, quality children's books to participating food pantries and WIC offices to be given to Maine families.

Dirigo Reads is a Maine-based organization with a mission to give a book each month of the school year to every Maine first grader attending public school.

Diverse BookFinder is an online collection of children's picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC).

Help me Grow Maine is a free service that connects parents and caregivers (of children ages birth to 8 years-old) to information and services about child development and community resources.

I'm Your Neighbor Books is a nonprofit organization that highlights the lives of New Arrivals and New Americans through the sharing of children's literature. I'm Your Neighbor Books is home to The Welcoming Library, a pop-up community conversation on immigration driven by a collection of picture books featuring new families.

Literacy for ME is a comprehensive Literacy for ME: Maine's Statewide Literacy Plan unifying the efforts of state agencies, community groups, and public schools to provide support to improve literacy achievement in Maine communities.

Literacy Volunteers provide student-focused tutoring in basic literacy and English as a Second Language at no charge to the student. Search the web for "literacy volunteers Maine" to find local affiliates.

Maine Adult Education provides adults with educational opportunities to gain and improve their literacy skills.

Maine Humanities uses books, poetry, and big ideas to promote meaningful connection and positive change in communities throughout Maine.

Maine Libraries provide diverse collections of books and many other resources in most Maine communities, large and small. Library services are designed to keep children engaged and families supported. Find a library closest to you by clicking the link.

Maine State Library shares emergent and early literacy resources and a list of projects that parents may be able to do at home using basic materials that you already have on hand.

Maine State Library's Early Literacy Calendar features Maine authors and illustrators. This free downloadable calendar has an early literacy activity for nearly every day of the week!

Our Shelves is a small company that provides subscription book boxes to families that feature books with racially an ethnically diverse, LQBTQ+, and feminist characters and families, among other currently under-represented identities in children's books. This project is based in Maine.
Talking Books Plus/Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (incl. children's books)
Reading Together to Build Healthy Brains Video (by MaineHealth's ChildHealth Team)

National Resources

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a quick tip to help parents and children nurture their relationship-by reading a book together.
Tips to Help Your Child Enjoy Reading Aloud Tips to Help Your Child Fall in Love with Reading Connect with a Book: Take 5 and Take Out a Book (video)
Other Reading Resources

Five Easy Ways to Encourage Early Literacy Skills: Talk, Sing, Read, Write, Play (pdf download)

America's Literacy Directory provides a list of literacy and educational resources for adult learners.

Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is an organization working to ensure that all American adults have the opportunity to read, write, and comprehend in order to navigate the world with dignity-and to raise the next generation of readers.

The Basics shares tips to help bolster brain development for social-emotional and cognitive skill building among children ages zero to 3 in an easy-to-use format.

The Centers for Disease Control shares a full, updated list of developmental milestones for children 2 months to 5 years.

Diverse BookFinder is a go-to resource for parents who are looking for picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) children, families, and subjects. This project is based in Maine.

Unite For Literacy's Free Digital Library is a free digital library that includes over 500 books with narrations in 50+ languages.

Get Ready to Read supports educators, parents, and young children in the development of early literacy skills in the years before kindergarten.

Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of public bookcases.

National Association for the Education of Young Children is the national voice of early childhood and early childhood professionals.

Our Shelves is a small company that provides subscription book boxes to families that feature books with racially an ethnically diverse, LQBTQ+, and feminist characters and families, among other currently under-represented identities in children's books. This project is based in Maine.

Reading Bright Start provides tips for parents and caregivers to help a child learn to read with reading resources and reading activities.

Reach Out and Read is a national program similar to Raising Readers with recommended book lists, information on the importance of reading aloud and reading tips.

Reading Rockets is a literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults like you can help.

We Need Diverse Books is an organization that strives to create a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book, offers a resource list of over 60 websites and organizations that share books set in marginalized communities.

Zero to Three provides resources to help parents support healthy growth, development, early language and literacy of their infants and toddlers.

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Parent and Community Resources - Raising Readers

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This library of parent resources connects you with free, downloadable materials and organizations that support your child's early learning.

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Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) connects children with the joy of reading to spark imaginations and possibilities, putting kids on a path of reading proficiency. Because every child deserves the chance to succeed.

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Reading Is Fundamental and our partners work to change the trajectory of the alarming U.S. literacy crisis, which creates barriers between our nation's children and their opportunities.

children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently.

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of 4th graders read below grade level, setting them up for difficulty in school and beyond.

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Donate with confidence

Reading Is Fundamental is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

Join RIF to disrupt the literacy crisis

Reading Is Fundamental and our partners work to change the trajectory of the alarming U.S. literacy crisis, which creates barriers between our nation's children and their opportunities.

children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently.

of U.S. children living at or below the poverty line have no books at home.

of 4th graders read below grade level, setting them up for difficulty in school and beyond.

RIF in action

Since 1966, we've partnered with educators, families, and literacy advocates to change the trajectory of the literacy crisis. Check out the latest from RIF.

Designed by research, powered by joy

Our research-backed solutions, resources, and programs are created by literacy experts to ensure that kids develop a foundation for discovery, growth, and learning. In 2022 alone, we reached more than 34 million children with nearly 6 million books and reading resources-both in person and online.

Latest news and stories

Learn how we're making a measurable impact for children in communities like yours.
All news and stories

Press and articles

Check out RIF's programs, events, and campaigns making news.

Blog

Read on for thoughts from RIF staff and special guests on a variety of timely reading topics.

Podcasts

Hear from RIF leadership on the literacy landscape and the impact we're making.

Press and articles

Check out RIF's programs, events, and campaigns making news.

Blog

Read on for thoughts from RIF staff and special guests on a variety of timely reading topics.

Podcasts

Hear from RIF leadership on the literacy landscape and the impact we're making.

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Together, we can disrupt the trajectory of the literacy crisis and open the door to opportunity for every child.