A love of literature is cultivated through pleasant experiences. The following activities generally progress from younger to older ages.

	Set aside a special time of the day or week just for quiet reading activities. Forget you own a television set.
	Take your child to the library to check out books and listen to storyhour.
	Journey into the world of fantasy by making up a story about one of your child's favorite toys. Make it a continuing saga.
	Act out a favorite story through puppetry or pantomime.
	Suggest your child dress up as a favorite storybook character while playing make-believe or preparing for Halloween.
	Make a book. Select a theme such as jungle animals, changing seasons, children's faces, or a day at the beach. Illustrate it with magazine pictures, photographs, or children's drawings. Use sturdy construction paper for the cover, and write a simple sentence about the picture at the bottom of each page.
	Tape record a story in which you and your child both participate either by reading or supplying sound effects.
	Read a poem, and then have your child draw a picture or make a collage about it.
	Start a rhyme and have your child finish it.
	Read or suggest a book that was one of your favorites when you were your child's age.
	Make personalized bookmarks out of felt or colored paper and give as gifts.
	Find books that complement past or future experiences in your child's life. For example, read books together about a vacation site before visiting. Learn about the geography, historical figures, or current events.
	Build a book shelf with your child.
	Start a book collection on a particular interest.
	Give a gift certificate to a local bookstore.
	Initiate a weekly family reading hour. Select a story of interest to the entire family and have the adults and older children read passages aloud. Alternate poetry, humor, mysteries, adventure, and biographical sketches.
	Tell a story! (For details, see Telling a Story. )