Reading Aloud To Your Child

Research and practice show that one simple activity — reading aloud — is the best way to prepare children for learning to read
and to keep them reading as they learn and grow. Reading aloud helps your children develop the language skills that they will use in
school and throughout their lives.

Reading aloud also creates a special time for you to bond with your children. Cuddle together as you share adventures. Laugh at silly
characters, root for heroes, and wag your fingers at villains. And do it together. At the same time, you'll be helping your children develop a
lifelong appreciation for reading.

Why read aloud to your child?

 Is great fun, and it benefits your children's growth as readers and learners.
 Nurtures your children's love of both the written and spoken word.
 Gives you a chance to rediscover favorite stories and find new ones.
 Helps your children develop important language skills that will help them learn to read on their own

Prepare

 Preview the book before you read it to children. This helps you spot material you may want to shorten, take out completely, or
expand on.
 Think about your children (ages, developmental levels, interests) and what you want them to get out of the story. That will help
you decide what questions you want to ask (or comments you want to make) and where (before, during, after the story).
 If it is the first time you are reading the book aloud, consider asking just a few questions, especially during the story, so that
children get to hear the story with few interruptions.

Before You Read a Story

 Make sure everyone is comfortable.

 Show the cover and read the title and author of the book.
 Ask the children about the cover.
 Suggest things the children can look or listen for during the story.
 Ask some or all of the following questions:
o What do you think this book is about? Why?
o Where do you think the story takes place?
o Have you ever read anything like this before?
o Flip through the pages and point out the illustrations to the children. Make predictions based on what you both see in
the book.
o Discuss things that the children might have in common with the characters or the setting of the story.

During a Story

 Change your voice to fit the mood or action.

 Move your finger under the words as you read them.
 Show the pictures and talk about the book as you read.
 Add information or change words to help kids understand more words and explain the meaning of a new word.
  Ask children to make predictions about the plot, the characters, and the setting.
 Share your own thoughts about the story.
 Allow children to ask questions or make comments.
 Follow the cues of the children to respond to their age, background and any other individual characteristic or challenges.

After You Read a Story

 Ask questions about the story. For example, you might ask some or all of the following:
o What is the title of the story?
o Who is the author? Illustrator?
o Where does the story take place?
o Who is the most important character? Why?
o What is the problem or conflict in the story? How is it solved?
o Does this book remind you of another book? Why?
o How did the story make you feel?
o Did the illustrations help tell the story?
o Has anything that takes place in the story ever happened to you?
o What is your favorite part of the story and why?
 Ask children to describe one of the characters in the story, or how they might feel or act if they were one of the characters.
 Extend the story with an activity or another book.

Read Aloud in Any Language

 Source: Reading Children's Books: There's More to it Than Meets the Eye. (1999). Articles for parents. ERIC Clearinghouse on
Rural Education and Small Schools, AEL, Inc.
 Whether in English, Spanish, or any other language, reading aloud to children provides them with life-changing benefits.
 Then and Now
Before television came into the home, children grew up listening to rhymes, poems, songs, and stories. They were very fortunate
to receive such a rich heritage through oral storytelling.
 Today's world has changed greatly. Young couples often set up their households far from family and friends. Starting their family
so far from their extended families, parents lose access to a wonderful treasure: the stories and values their family members could
teach their children.
 What is Young Children's Literature?
A way to remedy the loss of the personal stories and recollections of family members is to introduce young children to age-
appropriate literature. Young children's literature includes a variety of genres, or types. What is common to all is that they are of
interest to young children, from infants to 8 years of age. They include poems, rhymes, legends, and picture books. The books
contain many illustrations that support the story and add to its meaning.
 Topics in children's literature can include traditional stories (fairy tales or legends), modern fantasy (talking animals, miniature
children or people), realistic fiction (poverty, sibling rivalry), historical fiction, or biographies. Information books about topics such
as electricity and volcanoes are also available.
 What Benefits Does Reading Aloud Offer Children?
Young children learn much when books are read aloud to them. From birth they learn about language, whether in Spanish, English,
or another language.
 As children grow, the more they are read to and read aloud themselves, they will learn how to write and spell. Later, they can
master reading and writing at an earlier age. Students who have been read to and who can read at early ages achieve higher
grades in language arts and higher scores on standardized tests.
 Reading stories aloud to children helps them learn empathy for others, to see other sides to a situation. They may feel what the
main character is going through (whether person or animal), be it fear, anger, or humility. Depending on the story, children can
learn life lessons, like how to ask for forgiveness or how to share what they own with others.
 Reading stories to children also provides opportunities for them to discover persons not in their immediate environment, for
example the elderly or people from a different ethnic background or social status.
 Through books, children can travel to far away lands, learn about life in the jungle or on a cattle ranch. Books about a different
culture teach children what is considered proper or appropriate behavior for that culture. They also might learn about another
culture's holiday celebrations or the different games children play in other countries.
 When reading aloud fairy tales or modern fantasy, children learn how to use their imagination, to view their world from a
heightened perspective.
 Finally, to assure your children a better future, visit a public library to select some books—and read aloud to your children.