Tips for Reading Aloud

-         Use animated and exaggerated voices.  If you are not comfortable using different voices for different characters, that’s okay, just put a lot of enthusiasm into the reading.

-         Talk about the book as you read.  Ask your child what he/she thinks will happen next.  What will the characters do?  Which character is his/her favorite? In a book with a familiar pattern, ask what will be on the next page. 

-         Pay attention to the pictures.  Talk about what is happening in the pictures.  Ask children to find story details in the pictures.  As your child learns to read on his/her own using the pictures for clues to what is happening in the story becomes an important skill. 

-         Talk about how the book makes you feel.  Was the story scary? Funny?  Help your child discuss the feelings in the book.

-         Help your child relate to the book.  Ask what he/she would have done in the character’s place.  Find familiar items/events in books and talk about them. (“Where have you been on a slide like that?  What animals did you see at the zoo?” etc.) Making connections to books/stories is another important reading skill for your child.

-         Run your finger below the words as you read.  Do this occasionally.  You don’t need to do it for entire books or even every time you read.  The motion of your finger will help your child begin to understand that print has a direction; that we read from left to right.

-         Point out letters as you read.  Again, you don’t need to do this with every reading.  Point out the first letters of characters’ names, the beginning letters for favorite animals (“Look, there’s a D for dog!”), find the letters in your child’s name.

-         Have your child help you read.  When a book becomes familiar, especially if it rhymes or follows a pattern, try leaving the word off the end of a sentence and see if your child can fill in the missing word.  Encourage your child to chime in on familiar parts of the book.

-         Point out the different parts of the book.  Talk about the front and back covers and pages.  Show your child the name of the author and/or illustrator.   

-         Consider the setting.  Are you sitting comfortably with your child?  Have televisions and radios been turned off?  While you may read together under many different circumstances, set aside a special time and place to read for at least fifteen to twenty minutes each day.

-         Just have fun!  You don’t need to practice each skill every time you read.  Focus on enjoying the time you spend reading with your child.