Activities for Reading and Writing Fun

U.S. Department of Education
Richard W. Riley
Secretary
May 1995

Read

Write

Now! Activities for Reading and Writing Fun has been developed by national reading experts for you to use with children, ages birth to Grade 6. The booklet has three sections, one for activities for infants and preschoolers, the second for children thr ough Grade Two, and the third for older children.

These activities are meant to be used in addition to reading with children every day. Reading research has shown that reading just a few minutes a day with or to a child significantly increases that child's reading ability. These activities help very youn g children get ready for reading and writing, and guide older children to expand their reading and writing interests and skills.

In using these activities, your main goal will be to develop great enthusiasm in the reader for reading and writing. You are the child's cheerleader. It is less important for the reader to get every word exactly right. It is more important for the child t o learn to love reading itself. If the reader finishes one book and asks for another, you know you are succeeding! If your reader writes even once a week and comes back for more, you know you have accomplished your beginning goals.

We wish you many wonderful hours of reading and writing with children!

ReadWriteNow!
Activities for Reading and Writing Fun Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This guide for reading partners was edited by Dick Venezky and Linda Sittig from materials previously published by the International Reading Association and from Helping Your Child to Read, a booklet prepared by the Department's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The Department also wishes to acknowledge Reading Is Fundamental and the American Library Association for providing reading lists.

Several staff members of the Department assisted on the production of the guide: Michelle Doyle, Susan Thompson-Hoffman, Melissa Chabran, Brenda Long, Fritz Edelstein, Eric Stern, Jodi Wolk, Bernice Cullinan, Brod Bagert, Kathryn Perkinson, Cynthia Dorman, Oliver Moles, Adriana de Kanter, Alan Ginsburg, Val Plisko, Joanne Wiggins, and James Newman.

We also wish to acknowledge the persons who are responsible for the design of this booklet: Ken Cosgrove, Carter/Cosgrove and Company and Chris Dunn, Carter/Cosgrove and Company.

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