Thursday, March 7, 2013

Reasons to Read Aloud & Personalized Book Giveaways!

Reading Tips and I See Me Personalized Books Giveaways
I See Me Personalized Books
Children whose parents read aloud to them become better students. They are stronger readers, have a broader vocabulary, listen better, become better writers, have a better imagination, and have more confidence - all of which leads to a better performance in school. The priceless bonus is that they have bonded with their parents through a love of books.


I'm going to share a personal story with you. When my daughter was three, I was told she was mentally retarded and had autistic tendencies. I just couldn't believe that she wouldn't learn to read - coming from parents who had read thousands of books. I did not have a teaching certificate then - only a strong desire to help her in any way I could. We shared books together every night. I still cherish Big Bird Goes to the Park and taped it numerous times to hold it together because we read it so many times. We looked at ABC books and talked about the letters and made their sounds. We read books of all subjects: Silly books, rhyming books, science books for young children. And as an adult, she now reads at a 5th grade level - higher than many adults. How can this be?


  • We read to her every night and bonded through a love of books
  • She had a strong desire to read to because she felt our excitement of reading
  • She sees her dad and me reading books every day
I See Me Personalized Books

It's that simple. You don't have to have an Oscar to read books aloud to your child. You just need two things:
  1. Time: Establish a habit of reading every day. It only takes 20 times to form a habit. Children crave routine, consistency and stability - as well as your attention.
  2. Books: Find books that your child enjoys - at the library, off your iPad, from garage sales, from book exchanges with friends. Then take books with you where ever you go.
I See Me Personalized Books
Mem Fox wrote Reading Magic after she realized the ease with which her daughter learned to read. Fox was not a trained teacher. She simply read aloud to her preschooler every night. Of course, she was committed to reading books daily to her daughter and very enthusiastic about reading. They acted silly, played word games (find the same word, find the same letter) and extended the books with fun activities or simple engaging conversations. Fox writes that there are seven things you can do with your voice:
  • loud and soft
  • fast and slow
  • high and low
  • p-a-u-s-e (especially the last sentence)
Sammy loves his new book.

Book Giveaways to Celebrate National Reading Month:
What is your child's favorite word? Their name! That is why I am delighted to be offering a personalized book giveaway from I See Me in honor of National Reading Month.  I was given a personalized book for my grandson and it is his favorite book. Do you know why? It has his name on many of the pages, including the cover. Also, he is attracted to the wonderful pictures.

As an extra bonus, I am also including in this giveaway, an autographed copy of "The Happy Mommy Handbook."
Just leave a comment below of how you are following me and a winner will be picked on the last day of March by Random.org.

After you enter this giveaway, you may want to visit the I See Me sweepstake page and enter where 5 entries will win a library of personalized books. The Sweepstake is in celebration of National Reading Month and winners will be contacted at the end of March. To enter, click here.

Remember the 3 Rs of Reading:
RHYME, RHYTHM AND REPETITION
Would you like a glimpse into Kindergarten? See Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents. Moms of Preschoolers - let me help save your sanity, one project at a time with The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn. Both have been number 1 bestsellers on Amazon and are also  available on Barnes & Noble and Kobo.










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Just tell me how you are following me and a winner will be contacted.
Thank you very much for visiting and entering the giveaways
and for celebrating National Reading Month!

7 comments:

  1. Susan...what a fantastic post. Thank you so much for sharing the amazing reading journey you and your daughter took. :) How wonderful that you gave Mem Fox's experience with reading to her daughter as well! I had never heard that story. And I know parents will appreciate the simple tips you gave about making reading a daily habit. I'll be sharing this post with EVERYONE!!!!!

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  2. What a wonderful post and giveaway. I follow you through GFC and Google+.

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  3. What a wonderful post! I love your tips! I am sharing this post on Pinterest and Google+.

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  4. I'm following you via GFC!
    AmberFaith

    beautifullybellafaith@gmail.com

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  5. I'm following via GFC. Thanks for the great tips.

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  6. Jessica from Elkhart, IN contacted me through email to enter and she is the winner. Apparently her comment went into Spam. My apologies for those having problems commenting.

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  7. Arianne BaumbackThursday, 04 April, 2013

    Hi,
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts on reading aloud to children. I teach Transitional Kindergarten and we do a lot of story time. I know the importance of it but sometimes wonder if it really makes a big difference. Reading over you blog I am reminded how important it is to use fluctuation with your voice, read at different tempos, and pause to teach the use of a period. Keep up the great work, establishing a routine will be so great for your kids and along with helping them read, it will create ever lasting memories.

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