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by Barbara Curtis
llustrations by A.J. Garces (hardcopy only)

With Caitlin starting kindergarten next year, I'm getting worried," Laurie confided recently. "One little girl up the street started reading this summer. And my sister bought this special phonics program for my nephew. I want to give Caitlin a head start too, but I don't have much time to devote to it—not with nursing a new baby and doing my husband's bookkeeping."

I could relate. Whenever I compare myself with other moms, I feel inadequate—even though I have 11 kids! But besides learning not to compare, one of the most valuable lessons I've learned from my children is this: It's possible to accomplish a lot of learning in little bits of time.

That's good news for busy parents. A parent is truly a child's first teacher. Whether you plan to continue teaching at home or send your children to school, you want to know you've done everything you can to give them a successful start.

Stung by statistics on the growing lack of literacy through all grade levels, parents today are especially worried about reading. While our grandparents took for granted that their kids would learn to read—and read well— in the classroom, today's parents can't make that same assumption. We need to get involved—the earlier the better.

Still, there's no need to stress out about teaching your child to read. You may not know it, but you've probably already started.

Whether he's barely walking or ready to start school, your child most likely has been given a solid start on the road to reading, thanks to countless hours of bedtime stories. Nothing instills a love of literature like night after night of Goodnight Moon or The Chronicles of Narnia read by a loving parent. And even if you've never been much of a reader yourself, you may have already discovered—through reading with your kids—that it's more fun than you remembered.

So read! The most powerful motivation for your children to learn to read comes through seeing their favorite people—Mom and Dad—reading. Let your children see you reading your Bible, the news paper, or a favorite novel often. Keep as many children's books as possible around the house, either by visiting the public library or creating your own collection. Check garage sales, invest in inexpensive paperbacks and ask Grandma to give books for gifts. It's not hard, or expensive, to build a family library full of books your children will reach for repeatedly.

Treat books as though they are best friends you want to see again and again. "Oh, honey, here's The Rainbow Fish—your favorite. Let's read it again!" rather than "Oh, we've read it so many times—let's read something new." Kids never grow tired of favorites.

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