6 x 6 Ready to Read
6 by 6 is a program that emphasizes the 6 skills that parents and caregivers can help children develop before they learn to read, at about the age of 6.
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| Have Fun with Books | Notice Print All Around You | Talk, Talk, Talk | Look for Letters Everywhere | Tell Stories About Everything | Take Time to Rhyme |
Take Time to Rhyme
- Read Mother Goose rhymes and sing with your children.
- Play with words and help your children sound them out.
Rhymes and music help children learn to hear the smaller sounds of language.
Notice Print All Around You
- Let your children handle books and help you turn pages. Babies will even put them in their mouths!
- Point to words on the page as you read so your children understand that we read from left to right, front to back, and top to bottom - not all cultures do.
- Point out signs and print wherever you go.
- Have books, newspapers and magazines throughout your home.
Have Fun with Books
- Choose books that you and your children will enjoy.
- Use expression when you read.
- Let your children see you reading for pleasure.
The first step in learning to read is wanting to learn.
Look for Letters Everywhere
- Children need to know their shapes before they can learn letters. Hang shape mobiles above your baby's crib, read books about shapes and play with shape puzzles and sorting games.
- Talk about letters and sounds in objects and words that your children know.
Talk, Talk, Talk
- Point to objects and name them. Name feelings too!
- When you come to new word in a book, talk about its meaning.
Children hear and learn more new words when you read books, and a larger vocabulary is linked to greater reading success.
Tell Stories about Everything
- Talk about your day to show that all stories have a beginning, middle and end.
- Let children help tell the story or act it out.
- Choose books without words and encourage your children to tell the story from the pictures.
- Ask questions when you read, such as, "What do you think will happen next?"
These activites help with comprehension.
