3 minute read
The Benefits of Reading Aloud
by Jill Morgenstern
Parents are constantly looking for ways to help their child thrive in school: volunteering in the classroom, providing enrichment classes, teaching study skills, or quizzing them on spelling words. There are countless ways to contribute to your child’s progress. But there is an even easier way which is often overlooked – reading aloud. Reading aloud can help your child succeed in school and beyond, and even infants are not too young. Here are a few of the many benefits of reading aloud.
n Expand your child’s
vocabulary.
New research suggests that reading to children is even more effective than talking for building vocabulary. Sometimes parents will naturally explain the new words they encounter. Other times children will decipher the meaning from context. Both routes lead children to have an increased vocabulary, which plays a key role in learning to read and is critical for reading comprehension.
n Create a positive attitude
toward reading.
Learning to read can be full of anxiety and stress. Reading is pushed to lower and lower age groups, which can cause children who are not fully ready to read to feel inadequate. Reading aloud gives them the attention they crave while building a positive association with books. This can counteract the message they may be getting from school that reading is hard work or not inherently enjoyable.
n Increase fluency.
When parents read aloud, they model good reading fluency. Children hear how a text is read for best understanding. Reading fluency can enhance a child’s overall comprehension.
n Exercise memory.
Children can listen to a much more complicated story than they are capable of reading themselves. While listening to a story read aloud, children are remembering characters, the main plot and even subplots. Children are picturing the story in their heads in a way they would not have to do for a simpler story they could read independently. n Expose children to
other cultures and ideas.
By listening to stories, children can gain knowledge of the world and learn about different time periods in history. They can learn about other countries and historical events as they listen to their favorite stories.
n Increase empathy.
According to a study by Rose Turner at Kingston University, reading can make children more empathetic. This may be because children interact with characters on a deeper level than they do when watching television or movies. As children imagine what the characters are going through, they put themselves in the character’s place, paving the way to being a better friend to the people they know in real life.
n Expose children
to early literacy.
Reading aloud provides many lessons in basic literacy. Even an infant can understand that a book is held right side up and that pages are turned one at a time. Older children may follow along and pick up letters and words. n Help with specific issues.
Almost any problem or life circumstance can be found in a child’s picture book. Reading about a child experiencing the same problems can help a child feel understood and less alone.
n Teach values.
Reading aloud allows children to see the consequences of actions and provides a springboard to these types of conversations. They listen as other children make mistakes and learn the consequences of the behavior. Children may be much more willing to discuss the meanings of the mistakes when they themselves have not committed the error.
When it comes to reading with your child, the benefits are many! Not only do they gain solid academic and social skills, both of you gain the bonding time and cuddles. Reading to children can introduce them to a world of possibilities and set them on a path to success.
