Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Parent Tips
As a parent, you are the most important teacher your child will ever have! The articles below will give you some great ideas on how you can support your child's learning, both at home and at school. Be sure to explore the For Families section for more excellent ideas!
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During the holiday season, consider adding some new traditions for your family that will make meaningful memories and strengthen foundations for reading and learning success.
Learning That's Hands-On Holiday Fun (Pre-K)
The Parent-Teacher Conference (Pre-K)
Some preschools schedule meetings during the year to talk about your child's progress. Here are some tips to make the most of those meetings.
Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child's School
As a parent, you may be about to attend your first parent-teacher conference and are wondering what to expect. Or you may have attended a number of conferences previously, but want a quick refresher on ways to prepare for an upcoming conference. Colorín Colorado has compiled a number of suggestions to help you with your preparation, including tips about what to expect from the conference and a list of suggested questions to ask your child's teacher.
Tips for Developing Good Reading Habits at Home
Good reading habits start at home! These simple steps that you can take will help your child become a stronger reader and student.
Helping Your Child Succeed: Helpful PreK-12 Tips
Some of the main academic subjects include reading, math, social studies, and science. Whether your child is struggling in a certain area, or you just want to help them get ahead, this article contains tips you can use to help them succeed in every subject, from preschool through high school. There are also suggestions for how to make sure your children are developing socially and staying healthy.
School Issues and Program Information
All schools are held to certain standards based on federal and state laws. This article discusses some of obligations stated in The No Child Left Behind Act, which includes mandatory testing. It also describes the different programs available to English Language Learners and students with disabilities, as well as vocational and college preparatory programs.
Besides your child's teacher, many other people are involved in your child's education, The more you know about what they do, the more you can help your child.
Pathways to Success:
An AFT Guide for Parents
As a parent, you want the best for your kids. The American Federation of Teachers shares your expectations and knows you can make a big difference in your child's education.
How To Know When Your Child Needs Extra Help
Children learn differently and at different rates. Some kids need extra time, especially if they're also learning a second language.
What should you do if you think your child is having a reading problem?
Learning to read is a challenge for many kids, but most can become good readers if they get the right help. Parents have an important job in recognizing when a child is struggling and knowing how to find help.
Reaching Out to Hispanic Students and Families
In this section, you'll find ways to effectively reach out to English language learners (ELLs) and their families.
A child's success as a reader begins much earlier than the first day of school. Reading, and a love for reading, begins at home.
Help Your Child Understand What He or She Reads
When children get to fourth grade, they no longer spend time in class learning how to read. Instead, they learn about science, social studies, and many other subjects. They read in order to understand.
Writing is a great way for your child to become a better reader. Here are some fun ways to get your child writing at home. Even very young children can write stories!
A big step in learning how to read is being able to figure out new words. This is hard work. Kids need a lot of practice. They also need a lot of encouragement from you!
Teach Your Child About Letters
Children who know the letters of the alphabet before they go to kindergarten have a big advantage!
Starting at age three or four, children can usually play rhyming and other sound games. Being able to hear the different sounds in words is an important step for your child.
Even when your child is still a baby, there are things you can do to help him learn! The first three years of life are very important in developing your child's mind and abilities.
Fun Reading Tips and Activities
We'll make sure you never run out of fun reading activities to do with your child. Share these with other adults in your child's life - grandparents, babysitters, aunts/uncles, and friends!
Libraries have books, videos, music, newspapers, computers, and more. The most amazing thing is that you can use them all for free!
How to Let the School Know About Your Concerns
Is your child doing well in school? Is he or she having trouble learning, behaving, or studying? Is there a problem with another student, teacher, or administrator? If you have a concern, here are some steps to take.
Talk with Your Child's Teacher
Parents may be reluctant to approach their child's teacher. Here are some steps parents can take to develop a strong partnership with their child's teachers.
Your Rights as the Parent of a Public School Student
The law in the United States requires public schools to educate all students, no matter what their immigration status. Starting at age 5 or 6, children are legally required to attend school.
Helping Your Child Succeed At School
Your child will benefit greatly if the important adults in his or her life – family members and teachers – work together.
Fun and Effective Ways to Read With Children
Experts believe that reading to your child every day is one of the most important things parents can do.
Simple Ways To Encourage Learning
Here are some simple things you can do at home to help your child read, learn, and succeed.
But What If I Don't Know English?
If your Spanish is a lot better than your English, then speak, read, and sing to your child in Spanish.
Knowing two languages is a gift you can give your child. With encouragement from you, your child can become fluent in not just one language, but two!
Tips for Parents of Third Graders
Find ways to read, write, and tell stories together with your child. Always applaud your young reader and beginning story writer! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Tips for Parents of Second Graders
Find ways to read, write, and tell stories together with your child. Always applaud your young reader and beginning story writer! These tips offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Tips for Parents of First Graders
Give your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. Inspire your young reader to practice every day! These tips offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Tips for Parents of Kindergartners
Play with letters, words, and sounds! Having fun with language helps your child learn to crack the code of reading. These tips offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers
Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Dads Who Are Making a Difference
In these selections from Dad's Playbook: Coaching Kids to Read, compiled by the National Institute for Literacy, a couple of dads share some of the ways that they are helping their kids become better readers.
Don't forget to add non-fiction books to your reading routine! Kids can follow their own interests and learn about the world around them by reading about bugs, dinosaurs, or outer space. You can also use the information in books to do activities at home – make green eggs and ham like Sam I Am, or a newspaper hat like Curious George!
Oral Language: Expanding Your Child's Vocabulary
Talking to your child helps expand vocabulary, develop background knowledge, and inspire a curiosity about the world – all of which help with learning to read! Here are some simple activities you can do at home to get your child ready to read.
The basic rule is, “Don’t do the assignments yourself.” It’s not your homework—it’s your child’s. “I’ve had kids hand in homework that’s in their parents’ handwriting,” one eighth-grade teacher complains. Doing assignments for your child won’t help him understand and use information. And it won’t help him become confident in his own abilities. Here are some ways that you can provide guidance without taking over your child’s homework.
Resources for Helping Your Child with Homework
Books, magazines and programs are mentioned in this booklet as examples and are only a few of many appropriate resources. Listing of materials and resources in this book should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the Department of any private organization or business listed herein.
Checklist for Helping Your Child With Homework
How to Help: Talk with Teachers to Resolve Problems
Homework problems often can be avoided when families and caregivers value, monitor and guide their children’s work on assignments. Sometimes, however, helping in these ways is not enough. If you have problems, here are some suggestions for how to deal with them.
Helping Your Child With Homework
This publication has been adapted from the United States Department of Education’s “Helping Your Child” series. You can see the full report at the Department’s website. This publication was originally written by Nancy Paulu, with updates for the current edition completed by Fran Lehr and Marina Balentine Walne.
Children pick up languages much more easily than adults. This article answers some common questions about raising bilingual children.
Encourage Responsibility, Independence, and Active Learning
Taking responsibility, working independently, and engaging in active learning are important qualities for school success. Here are some suggestions for helping your child to develop these qualities.
Language for School Success: Talking with Your Child
This checklist can help to guide parents as they prepare their children for school. It includes milestones for good health, social and emotional preparation, and language and general knowledge.
Creating a library of your child's books is a great way to show her how important reading is. It will also give her a special place to keep her books and will motivate her to keep pulling books from her own library to read. Here are some ideas for getting started!
Five Free and Easy Tips for Summer Learning: Research Pointers and What You Can Do
Research about how much children lose ground over the summer is well documented, but kids don't have to lose ground over the summer. In fact, you can encourage your child to have a summer of fun and learning with these five free and easy things to do.
From Santiago, Chile, please accept my most sincere congratulations for the wonderful work you are developing. I am a librarian and your articles, activities, and recommended books have supported my work in the library, where I work for children, parents, educators, and other librarians.
~ Paulina O.
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Colorín Colorado is a free web-based, bilingual service that provides information, activities, and advice for educators and Spanish-speaking families of English language learners (ELLs, also known as students of English as a second language).
Colorín Colorado is produced by Reading Rockets — an educational service of WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in the nation's capital. Original artwork by Caldecott Award-winning illustrator David Diaz is used with permission.
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Colorín Colorado receives major funding from the American Federation of Teachers. Additional funding is provided by the National Institute for Literacy and the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
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