To motivate kids in kindergarten toward reading I always feel I am their biggest cheerleader. I give dozens of positive affirmations a day to create a safe feeling learning environment. I also make mistakes and talk through them to show them I’m not embarrassed but excited to learn something new! Model, model, model in Kindergarten! Some children especially those of other teachers come in reading. I send book bags home with them on their level and try to target theirs interests. Generally, in January I open my reading center which is quite cozy. The students can lounge and read book s from leveled book bins during center rotations. I make a large poster “I CAN READ!”and give stickers to the kids when they can read me three books of their choice from each bin. Choices are always good motivators; they just have to be limited with young children. The kids love to have a big shiny visual of their progress. The books are really a bit easier than the basil readers used for running records but it gives them the confidence they need to keep digging in! We also play lots of sight word games to get that recall speed up for future fluency. Encouragement, choices, and learning games keep things exciting in my room.
