Easy as Pie

Easy as Pie

Preparing meals is a good way for your child to practice his language skills.

What you need:
Paper
Pencil
Cookbook or recipes
Food supplies

What to do:
1. Ask children to help you prepare a grocery list.

2. Take them to the market and have them find items on the list.

3. Have them help put away the groceries and encourage them to read the labels, box tops, and packages as they store them.

4. Have them read the ingredients from a recipe.

5. Prepare a meal together and let them take needed items from shelves and storage areas.

6. Talk about the steps in preparing a meal -- first, second, and so on.

7. Praise the efforts of your early reader and encourage other family members to do the same.

The purpose of reading is to get meaning from the page. By using reading skills to prepare a meal, children see positive results from reading.

Source: Helping Your Child Learn to Read, U.S. Department of Education