$2 to Boost Reading Skills

Learning to read is a process, and it starts when your babies gnaw on their first board books. Add time and encouragement, and your kids will grow into confident readers who get absorbed in the plot of a chapter book. Surrounding your children with words (of both the spoken and written varieties) is key towards boosting literacy skills and nurturing a lifetime love of reading.

Each of your twins is an individual, and will develop reading skills at his or her own unique pace. Do not be surprised when one seems to “take off” reading more quickly than the other. Over the years we’ve read to each of our twins one-on-one as often as possible, so as to work at each boy’s pace and comfort level, without his co-twin interrupting the experience. Our days are busy though, and despite reading every night at bedtime and during daytime opportunities, I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate words and reading into our weekly routine.

I recently found a wonderful little chalkboard at our local craft store for about $2. It is simple, only measures about 7 by 8 inches, and was easy to stick up in a corner of the kitchen with some of those snazzy, double-sided, removable picture hanging strips. The strips stay together with Velcro, so I can take the chalkboard up and down every day. We started out writing kindergarten “sight words” on the board, but lately we’ve been writing the dinner menu on it– “the special of the day,” as it were. The kids get a kick out of writing the menu themselves, making the board a fun way to reinforce writing skills as well. How fabulous to get such mileage out of $2!