It's never too soon to start your child on the path to reading.

Simply talking to your infant and toddler helps her develop the

vocabulary she will need as she enters school and begins to

read. As you point and name objects, she will begin to

understand the meaning of words, and will eventually begin to

incorporate those words into her vocabulary.

The U.S. Department of Education recommends beginning to read

to your baby when she is six months old. According to their

2003 report, "Hearing words over and over helps her become

familiar with them. Reading to your baby is one of the best

ways to help her learn."

In that same report, the Department of Education also

recommends that parents reach out to groups that can:

• Help you find age-appropriate books to use at home with your

child;

• Show you creative ways to use books with your child and other

tips to help her learn; and

• Provide year-round children's reading and educational

activities.

A child's love for reading grows when the words on the page

come to life through experiences shared as a family. For

example, after reading Eric Carle's Ten Little Rubber Ducks to

your toddler, you can learn all about real ducks, make ocean

snacks, or go on a family outing and feed the ducks at a nearby

pond.

In order to help your child get ready to read, the Department

of Education also recommends:

• Using sounds, songs, gestures, and words that rhyme to help

your baby learn about language and its many uses.

• Pointing out the printed words in your home and other places

you take your child to, such as the grocery store.

• Spending as much time listening to your child as you do

talking to her.

• Taking children's books and writing materials with you

whenever you leave home. This gives your child fun activities

to entertain and occupy herself while traveling and running

errands.

• Creating a quiet, special place in your home for your child

to read, write, and draw.

• Keeping books and other reading materials where your child

can easily reach them. Having her own bookshelf or small

bookcase will not only make her feel special, but will also

communicate to her that reading is special.

• Reading books, newspapers and magazines yourself, so that

your child can see that reading is important.

• Limiting the amount and type of television you and your child

watch.

The best thing for you do to ensure that your child will grow

up reading well and loving to read is to read to her every day.

The time you spend reading together will create a special bond

between the two of you, and will open the doors for a dialogue

that will continue throughout the more trying years of

adolescence. The Department of Education suggests that, when

you're reading, you discuss new words. As an example, they

suggest that you say, "This big house is called a palace. Who

do you think lives in a palace?" Likewise, they suggest taking

time to ask about the pictures and what your child thinks is

happening in the story.

The same report suggests additional strategies for early

literacy:

• When reading a book with large print, point at each word as

you read it. Your child will understand that the word being

spoken is the word she sees.

• Read a favorite book over and over again.

• Read stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat, and

have your child join in.

• Read from a variety of children's books, including fairy

tales, poems, and non-fiction.

The more strategies you can incorporate into your child's

reading experience, the more likely you are to help your child

develop into a strong reader.