Some of my best memories of my childhood involve books. Going to the library with my Mom to choose new books, picking out special books from the monthly book order, curling up with a good book on a dark and rainy day, and listening to my Dad read aloud. As a parent now myself, we have worked hard to instill the love of reading in our children. If you read to your child daily for 30 minutes starting at birth, they will go to Kindergarten with over 900 hours of early childhood literacy experiences. If you reduce that to 30 minutes a week, they will only have 130 hours of reading time before school. Make story time part of your daily routine. Keep it fun and engaging! Let children see you reading and enjoying books. Literacy activities should always be fun and never feel like work. Make reading and literacy fun for your child and instill a lifelong love of learning.

Carrie Shrier
Extension Educator
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor
Michigan State University Extension