The ABC's of Good Behaviour

If there is one desire that virtually all mothers and fathers share, it is the wish to raise a good child. But ask any dozen parents to define “good” and you are bound to get a dozen different answers. One parent cares strongly about manners and politeness. Another will cite responsibility and obedience to family rules as the essence of virtue. A third parent upholds self-control and cooperativeness as the most admirable of character traits, and fourth emphasizes such qualities as honesty, kindness and trustworthiness. But in truth, good behavior is all these things and more, and given the proper opportunity, your youngster will be able to make all of them a part of his own character.

As a loving parent, what strategies can you use to encourage character building? For one thing, you can give your child plenty of reasons to trust you and to feel secure in your care. For another, you can be a good role model, demonstrating the values and types of behavior you want him to adopt. You can also set reasonable limits and positive expectations, appropriate to his age and temperament. You can be firm, fair, consistent and loving disciplinarian without resorting to harsh punishment. And you can help him find his way within the larger community of friends, school and strangers - explaining, interpreting, guiding and lending a sympathetic ear as he meets each new social challenge. But you cannot make your child be good - that in end, is up to him.

Excerpt from "Teaching Good Behavior" - part of " A Child's First Library of Values

Choosing the right reading material for your child.

So your child has started to read. She may be slow and stumble over a few words but they can manage. Fluent reading will not be far behind. Here are some tips for selecting the appropriate reading matter


Children enjoy reading texts that are aimed at their age and interests, whether it is about football, fairies, ghosts or outer space.
Those with illustrations add to the interest and are often the quickest way into the text.
Your child can choose from different types of text. For example, story books or factual texts, depending on the appeal to his/her imagination and his/her character. Story books provide a way into reading through a combination of words and pictures. Factual texts will interest the curious reader who wants to find out about the world. Some high-quality magazines contain an attractive combination of fiction and non-fiction and create a continuous relationship with a young reader.
It can be reassuring for a child to reread a picture book that is familiar from a very early age.
A good book does not have to be long.
A good book can be put down for a while, but will be easy to pick up again later.
Let him/her choose books which you yourself may not find very interesting

Children’s Reading Voyage

Parents know that reading is important for school success. Sometimes, though, parents aren't clear about the process of learning to read or how to help their child make this reading voyage.

Infants and Toddlers. Children crawl before they walk; they learn language before they read. Talking sets the stage for language development. Even though your child may not understand the words she hears, she's storing up the sounds of language for the day she'll put the sounds and words together and say them herself.

Start developing book habits early. Infants and toddlers often just want to chew on a book; mouthing and exploring are important book behaviors for very young children.

Read to your infant or toddler until he is bored, then put the book away for another time. As your toddler becomes more interested in books, let him make more book choices, hold the book, and turn the pages. Make these book times pleasurable and fun.

Preschoolers and Kindergartners. Preschoolers and kindergartners like to have fun with language. They like silly rhymes and verses, singing a song, dancing, and sharing a story through finger play. These are ways they develop language and literacy skills.

Children at this age are learning more about letters, print and books. They know many letters of the alphabet. They begin to match letters to their sounds, which is important for learning to read.

Many preschool children will pretend to read books, telling the story as they turn the pages, look at the pictures and identify some print on the page. They learn that print in books moves from left to right. Kindergarten children are getting better at matching letters to sounds and know many words from sight.

The Importance of Reading to your Baby

Once a parent bring home their newborn baby, they should waste no time in helping them learn. A baby will begin learning things right away and parents must make sure that they have the necessary tools to assist their child. One way parents can develop a baby’s learning capabilities at a very early age, is by reading to them.
Reading to your child is a great way for them to hear how words are pronounced. When you begin reading to your child, you may not get much of a reaction from them at the beginning, because they are just hearing the words for the first time. As the child begins to grow and parents continually read to them, they will become engaged in the stories and will begin to respond to the words.

Books that contain pictures are an entertaining way to read to your child, as they will be able to get a visual representation of what is happening in the storyline. Many picture books either depict important life lessons or can focus on academic concepts, like mathematics. These books are a great way for parents to not only spend time with their child, but to also ensure that their child is beginning to form good learning skills. Stories that teach your child how to count or learn their ABC’s are great beginner books.

As you are reading to your child, you will notice an increased interest in their desire to be read to. Eventually your child will begin to read by themselves and will use the skills that you have taught them. If you child has a great interest in reading, consider purchasing interactive workbooks that are designed to increase their learning. These books also provide a parent with the opportunity to spend quality time with their baby.

It is important to read to your child and nurture their desire to read, as it is the foundational block for their future success in school. By reading to your child at an early age, you will notice that they are able to develop the necessary learning skills they need, at a much faster rate

A Reading Environment at your Home!

Home environment plays an important role in the development of early readers. According to Jim Trelease, author of "The New Read-Aloud Handbook", two major studies (one from the 1966 and one from 1975) have been done on early readers as well as students who respond to early education without difficulty. These studies show that the following four indicators were present in the home environment of nearly every early reader.

The child is read to on a regular basis. This reading included not only books, but billboards, signs, labels, and more. The parents, by example, were avid readers.
Books, newspapers, magazines, and comics were always available at home.
Paper and pencils were also available anywhere because the starting point of curiosity about written language was an interest in copying objects and letters of the alphabet.
Adult in the child's home answered endless questions, praised the child's efforts, used their local library frequently, bought books, wrote stories that their child dictated and displayed their child's work prominently.

Having setup a good home environment for reading, you have to ensure your child has good hearing!

So do you have a reading enviroment for your child?

Ms Tan shares how she start to read to her child from young!

Teach your child to read

You can start teaching your child the building blocks for reading before they ever step foot in a classroom. Once your child enters school, you can work with your child and their teachers to help aid the learning process. Teaching your child to read will involve dedication and patience.
Make reading an important part of your child’s life before they can even speak. Read to your child as they develop in the womb and when they are babies. When your child is ready, start to read out loud to them while they follow along by looking at the pictures. You can then start to point out words in the book to your child while you read their favorite stories.

Read your children books with rhymes as well. The rhymes are easy for your child to remember and as they grow older they can learn to recognize some of the words in their favorite rhymes.

Start to introduce your baby to the alphabet from a young age. When your baby is just a couple months old you can start singing the ABC’s song to them. Between twelve to eighteen months, your little one will start to sing parts of the song on their own. A few months after that, you can start showing them the letters of the alphabet on a chart as you sing through the tune.

Developing a Reading Habit

Here are a few tried-and-tested techniques to help get you started:

Before reading a book to your child, read it through once yourself to identify areas you might want to concentrate on.

Point at each word with your finger as you read, and encourage your child to follow along. Even before your child can read, they can be highly stimulated by the pictures they see in books.

A child's attention span tends to be rather short, so choose simple books with plenty of colourful pictures.

If you are concerned about little hands tearing and smudging books, buy sturdy toddler board books that can withstand some 'abuse'.

Parents who show that that they enjoy and benefit from reading will set good examples to their children.

Children are constantly imitating adults, so if you make reading out to be a fun and enjoyable activity, it is likely that your child will as well.

Make reading a treat instead of a chore! Don't just read to your child at bedtime - read to him throughout the day or whenever time allows.

Show enthusiasm and excitement, and vary your reading tone to give characters different voices. Make your own puppets out of household items to use when reading.

Involve your child in the reading process. Let him turn the pages of the book, and give him adequate time to look at the pictures and ask questions.

If your child has developed an adequate level of reading comprehension, ask him simple questions about the story after each reading session.

Most children will have 'favourites'. Read your child's favourite books often, and make them available to your child at all times by placing them on a shelf within easy reach. This allows your child to look at his favourites whenever he desires.

All children have an innate desire to communicate. Write simple notes and letters to your child, and encourage him to do the same to you.

For children who have yet to master reading and writing, simply let them 'read' you their mental notes, and then read your notes to them.

Visit to your local library regularly, and engage the help of the children's librarian to assist your child in choosing books that are appropriate for his age group.

When he is old enough, obtain a library card for your child. This will help him acquire a sense of responsibility alongside an interest of reading.

By making reading fun, and keeping your child's reading experiences positive, you can nurture a child to grow into an avid reader, and one who views reading as an enjoyable pastime.

A Book Is a Child's Companion

If we want our children to enjoy the companionship of books, we must allow the child's contribution to the relationship to be wholly salient. We want the child to know that he is relevant to the book. So as we look at a book with a child, we are flexible about how that process goes. We forget that we know it has a beginning, middle and end, and we allow the child's pleasure and interest to dictate what it is to which we will attend, and of what the interaction will consist. We attend to the child’s agenda. We do our best to explicate the demands of perspective the illustration demonstrates, and we spend the time we need to cover and uncover, make disappear and reappear, our own faces and hands, until this loses its interest for the child. Only then do we proceed in the book. It is not unlike taking our child to the beach to view the vast ocean or to admire the sunset while acknowledging that the tiny sandcrab that scurries over the toe of his sneaker and totally captures his attention is a wholly worthy competitor for our intent and deserves our closest mutual attention. We are flexible, and we care about what our small friend's interests are because only then can he bring his whole self to the encounter. And that is what we want. We want the child to know that he is relevant to the book.

Babies and toddlers are enriched by books. Even more important, the relationships between very young children and their parents are enriched by books. Books provide a source of mutual pleasure for parent and child that is likely to last a lifetime. We introduce infants and toddlers to books not simply because of what they will learn from them, but so that they will grow to love them. It is a gift beyond measure.

Talk About Books

Talking about the books you read is just as important as reading them. Discussing a story or a book with your child helps your child understand it and connect it to his or her own experience of life. It also helps enrich your child's vocabulary with new words and phrases.

Here are some ways to help your child acquire skills in comprehension, reasoning, and critical thinking:

Ask your child about the kinds of books he or she would like to read.

Talk to your child about your favourite books from childhood, and offer to read them.

Encourage your child to ask questions and to comment on the story and pictures in a book – before, during, and after reading it.

Look at the cover and the title of a book with your child, and ask your child what he or she thinks might happen in the story.

Encourage your child to think critically about the story. Does he or she agree or disagree with the author? Why?

Think out loud about the story as you read, and encourage your child to do the same. For example, ask, "Does this make sense? Why or why not?"

Give your child time to think about the story, and then ask him or her about it again a few days later.