| |
TIPS FOR PARENTS
encouraging
your child to read | tips on reading aloud | chapter
books for reading aloud
Reading aloud well does not come naturally to everyone. Here are
techniques you can practice until they come easily. The Read-Aloud
Handbook by Jim Trelease (Penguin, 1995 4th Edition) offers more
ideas on how to go about it as well as numerous reasons that reading
aloud is beneficial.
• If you haven't read the book already, scan it to get a sense
of its content before you start reading aloud.
• Choose books you are excited about or your child is excited
about. It is hard to read a book you don't enjoy, especially a long
one.
• Read with expression. A monotone is hard to listen to. Children
need to hear changes in your voice to indicate when you are reading
dialogue. Vary your pace, too. Slow down to build up suspense and
speed up during exciting scenes.
• Create voices for different characters if you enjoy it, but
it isn't necessary for a good reading. A story can be read effectively
in a straightforward manner as long as you have expression and enthusiasm.
• Read at a moderate pace, not too fast. Listening is a challenge
for many children and you don't want to leave them behind as you
speed ahead. Picture-story books require time for enjoying the illustrations.
• Feel free to stop and discuss the book if you and your listener
want to. Answer questions as they come up. How much you want to
stop and explain new words is up to you. If they can be understood
in context, you may want just to keep reading. Stopping too often
to explain can undermine the story's impact.
• Keep in mind that children can look bored or restless and
still be listening. Some children need to be moving around or fidgeting
with something. The real question is, are they following the story?
If so, let them squirm or even draw pictures as they listen.
• Sometimes a book will lead to conversations afterwards, sometimes
not. Play it by ear. Either way is fine.
• If your child wants to read to you sometimes, great. Beginning
readers especially enjoy their new skills. You can trade off pages
or chapters, or just sit back and listen.
• If your child is not enjoying a book, you are not obliged
to finish it. This is most likely to occur with chapter books. You
don't want to abandon a book quickly, but if it has not sparked
interest after several sessions, try another one. If this is a pattern,
you may want to switch to shorter books and build up to longer ones.
• Try reading just a few poems together at a time. Start with
light verse if you are uncomfortable with poetry. You may be surprised
at how much fun you and your child can have with poems.
Reading aloud has a host of educational benefits, but it works best
if it isn't approached as an educational exercise. Parents have
been known to have children repeat each word after them as a device
to teach reading. Such a tedious approach is more likely to dampen
enthusiasm for books than to promote learning. Just enjoy the books
together; the increased vocabulary, understanding of story structure,
exposure to correct grammar, and other benefits will follow naturally.
back to top
© 2003, Kathleen Odean, all rights reserved.
|
