Our resident “Voice of Montessori”, Ms. Charlotte Wood, had some fun ideas to implement reading and writing in your daily routine. Try these tips to build more literary based activities into your lifestyle, without unduly pressuring your child to read ‘right now’!

Library: Go to the library! A lot! “The library is like a candy store where you can sample everything,” says Ms. Wood. The library is also a great opportunity to foster and encourage responsibility. “For your young child – they could keep the receipt and put it somewhere safe, on the fridge perhaps, to make sure all the checked-out books make it back to the library.” The public library also has reading program that might be fun for your child to participate in, learning about new authors and other illustrators.
Grocery Store: The summer provides excellent opportunities for daily adventures. For instance, your young writer can help compose the grocery list, and their emerging reading skills can be engaged to ensure that you got everything on the list. Did we get bananas? Check. How about the orange juice? What a great way to practice independence!
On the Road: Play road games. As families set out on the last road trips for the summer, there are a number of practical, engaging ways to implement literacy. For instance, you can see which letters your child can identify in license plates, or what states they can read, or, perhaps you can read some bumper stickers together. Be careful on this one!
Play rhyming games. So, you’re headed down the road, and you’re looking for something productive to do, to help keep your children occupied. Perhaps you would like to see how many words you can think of that rhyme with a certain word. Start with something easy, like bee or light. For an added challenge, your child can write them down and keep lists.
Back to School shopping: Many schools send out a list of items to purchase prior to the first day of school. It’s a perfect opportunity to read together, discuss what you need, and perhaps write your own checklist. Then, when shopping, put the decision making (and reading responsibilities) into your child’s hands.

We hope you enjoy some of these suggestions. We’re sure you have others, and we’d love to hear what works for you!

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