A Postscript about Older Children

You can't put a teenager on your lap and read stories every night. But you can still help older children become enthusiastic and fluent readers by adapting many of the same principles that work with the little ones. It is especially important to continue the following efforts:

• Encourage reading for the fun of it and as a free-time activity.

• Create an environment rich with books.

• Talk and listen to your children. Language is like a four-legged stool: speaking, listening, reading, and writing are its parts, and each supports the other.

• Read with your children every chance you get—even if it's just part of a newspaper article at the breakfast table.

• Encourage children to write by responding to the ideas they try to communicate in writing.

• Set the example—put a book in your hands and be sure your children know that you read for enjoyment and to get needed information.

• Monitor your children's schoolwork and applaud their efforts.