What Can
I Do to Help My Child in Reading?
In my 20+ years
of teaching, I have heard this question from parents many times. Every time I hear it no matter what the
child’s age, I give parents the same answer, “Read to your child.” Every time I
say it, parents look shocked and ask me, “Don’t they need to read to me to
improve in reading?” Of course children
need to read to become better at reading, but first they need to want to
read. While it has many other benefits,
reading aloud helps to build a love of reading.
“The single most
important activity for building knowledge of their eventual success in reading
is reading aloud to children,” stated the Commission on Reading in a 1985
report (Becoming a Nation of
Readers). Jim Trelease, the author
of The Read-Aloud Handbook, names two
aspects of learning to read. One aspect
he calls the “how-to” and the other the “want to.” He states that, “Without the ‘want-to,’ all
the ‘how-to’ drill work is not going to create a lifetime reader. Your reading
aloud is what builds the child’s ‘want-to.’”
There is much
research on the topic of reading aloud to children. What it all boils down to is this: Reading aloud improves a child’s future
success in reading. How does it help? In
so many ways:
- · It is time for one on one attention and bonding.
- · It exposes children to books that are above their reading ability. This is huge for struggling readers who feel left out from what their peers are reading.
- · It introduces children to good literature, a new author, a different genre or topic.
- · It builds a child’s knowledge about subjects which he/she is not familiar.
- · It develops comprehension skills. Stopping to share your thinking and discuss what you are reading models what happens inside of a reader’s head and helps students begin to form their own ideas.
- · It also increases a child’s speaking, listening and reading vocabulary as children hear and discuss words that may be unfamiliar to the child.
- · It makes you a role model for reading. It shows students what reading should sound like, how we think about our reading and why we read.
·
Finally, it helps students build a love of
reading. Many of us can recount stories
from childhood where an adult read something to us that sparked an interest and
encouraged more reading. Reading aloud
to children, gives them a similar story to tell.
So, next time you
wonder, how can I help my child in reading?
You have your answer, read to them.
The benefits are well worth your time.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Davies
