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Use holidays to encourage children to read

University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Abby Barber
Dec. 9, 2002

STARKVILLE, Miss.---Wintertime and the holidays present a perfect time for parents and children to snuggle up with a good book, a Mississippi State University professor of curriculum and instruction says.

“You don’t need a lot of money, time or materials to make reading fun for children,” Nancy A. Verhoek-Miller observes. “With a little scrap paper and imagination, you can go a long way, particularly in the holiday season, when you may have more opportunities to look at beautiful picture storybooks.”

Verhoek-Miller advises making tiny visuals to go along with the stories to be read. These “snippets” of art, such as snowflakes or finger puppets, provide great opportunities to capture a child’s imagination through books.

“Another way to reinforce reading is to ask your child questions about books while you read together,” she says. “Asking questions such as ‘What will this character do next?’ or ‘Can reindeer really fly?’ provides wonderful opportunities for learning. To continue the process, go to the library or explore the Internet and look up the topic together.”

Among other tips to tie reading to the holidays:

--Act out the stories; for instance, if the main character is a gingerbread man, make gingerbread cookies and use the finished cookie as a puppet while reading the book.

--Let children help decorate the house with their holiday books.

--Buy books as holiday gifts, after first ensuring that the child will like it and that the content is appropriate.