Reading aloud to your children everyday is one of the easiest ways to help them advance their language and literacy skills.
By listening to a parent or caregiver read children learn the sounds of their language, the taste of words, and the way that sounds roll together to create sense and magic. Books that are high in repetition and pattern are particularly useful for building the language skills of your child.
And best of all, time spent sharing a book with your child is a quiet time when you can both relax in each others company and enjoy a story together.
Why share books?
- Shared books that are loved by children and their adults can build bridges between the generations.
- Sharing books can give a family a time together not constrained by other influences, like the distraction of television.
- Books can introduce children to issues in a way that is non-threatening and can open channels of communication about such issues.
- It's a chance for parents to relax and unwind at the end of a busy day! And to do it sharing something you both love with your child is an added bonus.
- Books can even build bridges between adults and teenagers - if it's the right book, and there's no pressure.
- Remember - don't make reading a chore. Reading is fun - work is for school.
- Let your child see you reading for fun - and they'll be more likely to read for fun themselves.
- Reading is reading - whether it's fiction, non-fiction, a magazine, or the back of a cereal box.
 Back to top
Words of wisdom
- 20 minutes a day is all it takes, but why stop there if you're having fun!
- Stop reading aloud to your child when it feels right. When they're starting to read independently isn't right - for them or you.
- Children can take in deeper/longer/more complex stories if they're read aloud than if they're reading for themselves. So, your six year old is used to listening stories designed to be read by an eight year old, so reading books written for them to read themselves can be frustrating - and may even put them off reading.
- Hold on - that doesn't mean sticking a book on tape or CD on! Sharing books with your child is family time, together time. Cherish that time. Books on tape are great for car journeys!
- When your child's gaining confidence as a reader maybe you could alternate pages of the book.
- Correcting your child's reading aloud should be done with caution. Remember this is fun time, not school time.
Back to top
Some great books to read about this are:
Read to your bunny
Rosemary Wells
A little picture book guide laying down the basic ground rules.
Reading magic: how your child can learn to read before school and other read-aloud miracles
Mem Fox; illustrations by Judy Horacek
A great extension to Wells' advice. Gives hints on how to make reading aloud easier.
The reading bug - and how you can help your child to catch it
Paul Jennings; illustrations by Andrew Weldon.
More sage advice.
Back to top
|
