Reading is the fundamental skill which all future learning depends upon and research has shown that a child who does not learn the basics of reading early will often struggle throughout their educational career and in life. The most meaningful action you can take to aid your child in building the knowledge that is needed for success in reading is to read aloud to them on a daily basis. |
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
-Emilie Buchwald-
BTBL’s entire premise is the belief that books shared with a child through read alouds is the single greatest force that can create a future reader. With a growing focus on reading scores, children need a gentle, natural guiding approach to build a passion for books and reading. Reading aloud to a child helps build skills that a child cannot always achieve on their own. A child’s reading comprehension does not meet their listening comprehension until approximately the eighth grade. In other words, a child can understand more of what they hear than what they can read on their own and because we generally speak at basic levels, children who aren’t read to are not exposed to the rich vocabulary contained in many books. So read aloud to a child to help:
- Develop language skills
- Develop vocabulary
- Develop imagination
- Develop a love of reading for pleasure
- Exercise the brain
- Increase concentration and attention span
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Build background knowledge
- Foster the natural curiosity to learn
- Open up a world of endless possibilities
Reading aloud basics...
There is more to reading aloud than you might think. It isn’t just about the book, (although finding just the right story makes a world of difference), it is also about you, your child and the experience. Keep the following things in mind when reading aloud:
- Tone of voice, inflection, emotion and expression matter.
- Be aware of your body language, it conveys meaning. Keep it positive!
- Facial expressions. Children will often watch the reader and not just the book!
- Know your audience and choose an exciting and engaging book.
- Pay attention to your audience and watch their body language for clues.
- Don't be afraid to abandon a story if your audience is showing disinterest. The point of the read aloud is to build a positive relationship with books.
- Don't be afraid to abandon a story if your audience is showing disinterest. The point of the read aloud is to build a positive relationship with books.
Reading Aloud Benefits the Reader Too
Research has shown that a child who is read aloud to develops crucial literacy skills and continuing to hear stories strengthens these skills. But the simple act of reading aloud has a myriad of benefits for the reader as well. When a reader reads aloud they are fully engaged and focused. Without all the energy focused on reading, the mind tends to wander and is more easily distracted. Reading aloud keeps the focus on the connection between the mind and the voice further resulting in:
- Increased Vocabulary – Saying a word aloud in context brings the word to life and builds meaning and understanding.
- Increased Comprehension – Auditory learners benefit by both seeing words and hearing them, thus reading aloud helps new words become internalized increasing understanding and the chance for further usage.
- Increased Intonation – When reading aloud, a reader hears the sound of their own voice, increasing the desire to not sound dull, especially when reading for an audience. Reading with intonation or feeling brings a story to life further increasing comprehension.
- Increased Reading & Listening Skills – Reading aloud helps a reader to become more fluent and better at identifying proper grammar and sentence structure, which in turn aids in listening skills.
Building a Relationship with Books
Reading aloud is the primary focus at BTBL, but it all actually begins with building a relationship with books. Children of all ages enjoy hearing a story read aloud but to truly develop a love of books, they need to first establish a positive relationship with them. All too often we see parents trying to contain their squirming little one in their laps while attempting to read, for example, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, while the little one is only interested in poking their fingers through the holes. We watch as they resettle the little one and admonish their behavior and warn that if they don’t behave they won’t hear the story. At this point, the little one might be more interested in the illustrations, the shape and/or the feel of the book or is just plain uninterested in your choice. Take your cue from your child and allow them to first build a relationship with books while listening to the stories they enjoy when they are ready.
Building a relationship with books involves allowing young children to first enjoy the physical book. Often they will carry them, create a tower of books, hold them upside down, flip pages, point to objects that fascinate them or just gnaw on them. High contrast books (think black and white) are always great for the littlest ones and even appeal to those a bit older (see the BTBL handbook for our list of favorites). If they are sitting on your lap, they may not even be interested in the actual story but would rather explore the book with you. Look at the illustrations together and point out what you see. Ask open ended questions and then allow time for thought and an answer, even if it’s just a grunt or some other utterance, and then continue the discussion by sharing what you see or think. Allow this time to be guided by your little one even if you only look at the first and last page or switch books every few minutes. Sometimes it’s just about the act of flipping pages as they see adults do. Great first books for physical exploration are sturdy board books. The touch and feel variety offer a tactile experience while those with flaps to lift keep a child interested by finding the surprise underneath and helping to build fine motor skills. Books with magnets are fun as well. Don’t just look for pictures and words. Make sure that the pictures and words are engaging and interesting. If you are bored, chances are little one will be too. They don’t have to be long but rhyming words, unique illustrations and fun story lines all help the listener to connect to the story and realize that books are exciting and worth their time.
Building a relationship with books involves allowing young children to first enjoy the physical book. Often they will carry them, create a tower of books, hold them upside down, flip pages, point to objects that fascinate them or just gnaw on them. High contrast books (think black and white) are always great for the littlest ones and even appeal to those a bit older (see the BTBL handbook for our list of favorites). If they are sitting on your lap, they may not even be interested in the actual story but would rather explore the book with you. Look at the illustrations together and point out what you see. Ask open ended questions and then allow time for thought and an answer, even if it’s just a grunt or some other utterance, and then continue the discussion by sharing what you see or think. Allow this time to be guided by your little one even if you only look at the first and last page or switch books every few minutes. Sometimes it’s just about the act of flipping pages as they see adults do. Great first books for physical exploration are sturdy board books. The touch and feel variety offer a tactile experience while those with flaps to lift keep a child interested by finding the surprise underneath and helping to build fine motor skills. Books with magnets are fun as well. Don’t just look for pictures and words. Make sure that the pictures and words are engaging and interesting. If you are bored, chances are little one will be too. They don’t have to be long but rhyming words, unique illustrations and fun story lines all help the listener to connect to the story and realize that books are exciting and worth their time.
Some titles to consider that our little bookworm has been drawn to in her first year are:
- Spots and Dots by Chez Picthall (Unique designs).
- Hello Bugs! by Smriti Prasadam (Black and white with glittering colored foil).
- Scholastic's Touch and Feel ABC (Rhyming with vibrant photography).
- Alphabet by Matthew Van Fleet (Rhyming safari with ABC poster included).
- Little Yellow Bee by Ginger Swift (Rhyming with sturdy flaps).
- Little Green Frog by Ginger Swift (Rhyming with sturdy flaps).
- Little Red Barn by Ginger Swift (Rhyming with sturdy flaps).
- Melissa & Doug’s My ABC Book (Wood with removable magnetic pieces). Older edition (found at a book sale) has rhymes with each letter, picture removable. New edition, both letter and picture removable, no rhymes.
- The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen (Rhyming with repetitive phrase. Also in board book format).
- Birthday Monsters by Sandra Boynton (Just one of her many rhyming stories).
- Bath Time! By Sandra Boynton (Waterproof and floats!)
- Hug by Jez Alborough (Only one word throughout with fantastic facial expressions).
- Llama Llama Nighty-Night by Anna Dewdney (Rhyming text with familiar bedtime routine illustrations)
- Llama Llama Wakey-Wake by Anna Dewdney (Rhyming text with familiar morning routine illustrations)
- Jingle Bugs by David A. Carter (Rhyming text with sturdy flaps) Also look for other books in the series.
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