I Like to Read Books

For the most part, the real key to teaching children to read is to get them to want to read. And the best way to do that is to give them a good story.

Children - and adults! - are naturally fascinated by a well-told tale. But most children are also visual learners. So picture books are a must because they engage the child visually, enticing them to read the words on the page that explain or give additional details about what is happening in the story.

It's also important to give your child books that aren't too hard for them to read, but that allow them to practice what they've learned and even challenge them just a bit. Frustration, however, is the fastest way to kill any interest and motivation your child has to read.

When I was teaching my kids to read, I had them read for about 10 - 15 minutes a day. Somedays they found the reading more difficult than others, and on those days I didn't push them too hard because I knew their brains were absorbing the information but needed time to make sense of it.

Put all this together and you can see the need for fun, short picture books that focus on new sound combinations.

Holiday House has a series of books called I Like to Read® that feature exactly what I've described above. I used them with my kids when I was teaching them to learn how to read and these books made the experience fun so that my kids wanted to read more and had a good attitude when it came to reading.

The stories are short, funny, and boldly illustrated. My personal favorite is Mice on Ice by Rebecca and Ed Emberley. It's so cute and the story is simple. My son loved The Fly Flew In because of the sheer havoc the fly creates when it flies into a building full of people. And I think that my daughter loved Pig Has a Plan because she loves animals.

These were some of our beloved favorites a few years ago when I was teaching my two to read. And I want to share them with you. So the first giveaway in my holiday gifting series is a set of books because I know that your child's entire academic success isn't possible if he or she hasn't developed their literacy skills.

If you have little ones learning to read, don't miss today's giveaway! After all, there is no better gift than a book this holiday season.

Buena suerte!

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