10 Activities to Help Your Child Grow as a Reader 1. Encourage 20 minutes of reading everyday from a book of your child's choice. 2. Help your child find books that are at the appropriate reading level. 3. Show that you value reading by fillihg your home with books, magazines, and newspapers. 4. Talk about mail, advertisements, and food labels. 5. Talk about words. 6. Show your child that adults also learn new words. Keep a running list of new words that you want to learn together. 7. Encourage your child to write letters or postcards-or perhaps your child might be interested in keeping a journal. 8. Show interest in what your child is reading. Ask questions about the plot of the story. Ask about the characters. 9. Set a goal as to the number of books your child might be able to read over a period of time. Celebrate the successful completion of that goal. 10. Rent videos on a topic that your child is interested in. Find books on a similar topic.