Reading aloud with your child
Reading aloud helps to instill in your child a love of reading.
· Find a special time to read aloud every day. Let your child select the book to read and sit close, as you read to them. Then become the listener as they read the book to you.
· Enjoy reading stories that continue for several days. Review what happened when you read aloud the day before. Predict what may happen tomorrow when you will read again. Share your reactions when the story ends.
· Share books that have no words. Tell a story from the pictures. Then have your child offer another version of the same book.
· After you have read a book with you child, they may want to read it independently: In doing so, if they ask you about a word they don’t know, JUST TELL YOUR CHILD THE WORD. Don’t say “sound it out,” or “You knew that word yesterday,” or “You are not trying.” Telling the child the word allows the child to remain focused on the meaning increases fluency and develops confidence.
· Enlist other readers too. Siblings, grandparents, neighborhood children, and babysitters will enjoy the special role of reader to a younger child. Take a break with popcorn or fruit. Show you child what a treat it is to read!
· Plan for your child to attend a library story hour. Speak to you child about what was read and how it made them feel.