Appropriate grades or age groups:
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School

Estimated time to complete activity or implement technique:

Materials needed (if applicable):

Activity set-up/instructions or description of technique:
I have two daughters -- ages 6 and 7 -- and a son who is 18 months old. My girls love to read and my son loves to be read to. I contribute this to the fact that we incorporate reading into just about everything we do. We match stories we hear on the news to the stories in the newspaper. I let the older children read to the younger children, and vice versa. We read the directions out loud when cooking or using household products. We point out street signs and how they help us find our way. Everywhere we go, and in everything we do, my husband and I are quick to relate the activity to words in any way we can. We make frequent library trips where they are free to choose any book that strikes their fancy. I subscribe to age appropriate magazines for them and we use the internet to research school projects. Also, I think it's imperative that the children see us read every day -- and they do!

Other suggestions or comments:
P.S. Reading is also a terrific traveling activity. All year long I stock up on books that go in a special travel bag. When we go on car trips, the kids have a wealth of new reading material to keep them busy in the car.