Reading Aloud to Children

Reading Aloud to Children

In its landmark 1985 review, Becoming a Nation of Readers, the Commission on Reading called reading aloud to children “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for success in reading.” The best time to begin reading books with children is when they are infants—babies as young as six weeks old enjoy being read to and looking at pictures. By age two or three, children begin to develop an awareness of printed letters and words. They see adults around them reading, writing, and using printed words for many purposes.

 

Toddlers and preschoolers are especially ready to learn from adults reading to and with them.

Reading aloud to young children is important because it helps them acquire the information and skills they need to succeed in school and life, such as:

 

• Knowledge of printed letters and words and the relationship between sound and print.

• The meaning of many words.

• How books work and a variety of writing styles.

• The world in which they live.

• The difference between written language and everyday conversation.

• The pleasure of reading.

 

Here are some suggestions for reading aloud to children.

 

• Make reading books an enjoyable experience. Choose a comfortable place where the children can sit near you. Help them feel safe and secure. Be enthusiastic about reading. Show the children that reading is an interesting and rewarding activity. When children enjoy being read to, they will grow to love books and be eager to learn to read.

 

• Read to children frequently. Read to the children in your care several times a day. Establish regular times for reading during the day and find other opportunities to read:

- Start or end the day with a book.

- Read to children after a morning play period, this also helps settle them down.

- Read to them during snack time or before nap time.

 

• Help children to learn as you read. Offer explanations, make observations, and help the children notice new information. Explain words they may not know. Point out how the pictures in a book relate to the story. If the story takes place in an historic era or in an unfamiliar place, give children some background information so they will better understand and enjoy the story. Talk about the characters’ actions and feelings. Find ways to relate the book you are reading to what the children have been doing in the classroom.

 

• Ask children questions as you read. Ask questions that help children connect the story with their own lives or that help them to compare the book with other books they have read. Ask questions that help the children notice what is in the book and ask them to predict what will happen next.

©Enchanted Learning Ltd 2015