Ten Ways to Use Books and Reading to say "I Love You" on Valentine's Day

Okay, so many know my dedication to reading aloud with children, and my LOVE for Jim Trelease's book, The Read Aloud Handbook. But, you might not know about my second favorite read aloud inspiration, "How to Help Your Child Love Reading: For Reluctant and Ravenous Readers Alike" by Esme Codell. I absolutely adore this woman. I recently "re-discovered" her website and a "sister-blog."

Here are her ideas about reading aloud to celebrate Valentine's Day (or any other day!)

Sweet! Ten Ways to Use Books and Reading to say "I Love You" on Valentine's Day

1. Read aloud a book into a casette player, or a computer recording device. Give the book and finished cassette/CD to a young loved one. Great for working parents! Kids can also make recordings as gifts for distant relatives.

2. Pack a special Valentine's Day brown-bag lunch and include a love letter to your child to read while s/he eats!

3. Make a Valentine for a favorite author or illustrator. Help your child address an envelope to the publisher (usually listed on thecopyright page of a book), and send it off.

4. Make pink fortune cookies by adding a few drops of red food coloring. Write your own fortunes together and read them aloud as you open the cookies. Recipe at www.planetesme.com/fortunecookie.html .

5. Share something personal and special by reading aloud, like a childhood diary or PG-rated love letters you and your spouse exchanged.

6. Have a family read-aloud with CUPID AND PSYCHE, as told by M. Charlotte Craft and stunningly illustrated by K.Y. Craft. Need more titles for your literary love-in? For a big bouquet of lovely books that manages to avoid too much mush, check out Unlovable Love Stories.

7. Let your child tuck you in and read you a bedtime story.

8. Find your favorite childhood book and inscribe it to your child.

9. Pack a new book inside the bottom of a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

10. Take your child on a date to the library.

Remember, ten thousand pieces of research support the Department of Education's findings that read-aloud is the best thing you can do to support lifelong literacy, that it contributes to background knowledge for all subject areas, and that read-aloud should continue through the grade levels. Love learning? Read-aloud is romantic!


see http://planetesme.blogspot.com/ and http://planetesme.com/ for more AMAZING inspiration!