Source: The U.S. Department of Education and Dr. Patricia Kostell

Read to and with your children for at least 30 minutes every day.

Ask your child to tell you what is happening in each picture as you turn the pages. Early reading is your child retelling a story, by telling what is in the picture.

Help your child to read on their own by having lots of books at home and visiting the library often.

Help your child see that reading is important. Suggest reading as a free-time activity and let your children see you reading books, magazines, and newspapers.

Restrict the amount of television your children watch, and try to monitor viewing to educational programming.

Keep track of your child's reading progress in school.

Find reading opportunities wherever you go: read aloud road signs, labels on groceries....any appropriate words that you come across together. 

Together with your child, make lists of things to do, or places, or items to buy.

Write your child special notes. Sometimes a drawn smile or stick figure gives your note new interest.

Have your child tell you a story. Write down your child's words as they tell you their story, then read their story back to them.

As your child learns to write, what's most important is what your child writes, not spelling and neatness. The child who writes what he or she wants to say without being limited by spelling will become a better writer sooner.