There is no better way to learn to want to read than by being read to. From the very earliest days, infants come to know and to love the sound of familiar voices. Reading aloud to small infants isn’t stupid, silly, or wasted time; it makes great sense to spend time with children doing both what they and you like to do.
I love to read, so I read aloud to my children, and not always “children’s stories,” either. I often read articles or books in which I was interested, knowing the child would find the sound of my voice comforting and soothing whether or not they understood the words. Early reading develops in children the ability to listen for information, vocabulary and comprehension skills leading to later reading success.
Parents sometimes say they would like to read to their child but the child won’t sit still, they don’t know what to read, or maybe the child wants to be read to all the time: dissimilar problems yet with similar solutions. As with any other project, plan to start where the child is. Keep it simple and choose colorful books with child appealing pictures. A really good rule to follow is that if you are attracted to the book, so will your child be. Pick a place to read where you won’t be distracted by TV, music or conversations, etc.
Reading together is a great time for a child to have your undivided attention. Begin by “previewing” the story and the pictures. Think about the way coming attractions are advertised at the movies: you are shown clips from the movie that make you know you want to see it all. Previewing a book is looking at pictures, talking about what might be going on in the pictures, and telling what the story is going to be about. Very few young children are able to sit for any length of time and this time can be increased only as they become interested in what is going on in the story. For this reason, it is important to read stories over and over.
Children learn vocabulary as books are read to them by having adults point to and name objects, animals, actions, etc. Children learn about things they may never see through being read to ... imagine if we had to see a zebra or an octopus “in person” to know what one was. As children are read to, they build skills in comprehension ... learning what name goes with which picture ... and this builds into the ability to understand longer books and later, entire novels. Through repeating books again and again, children develop the ability to anticipate what will happen in the story as well as learn to retell the story in their own words. All of these are important school skills yet are so easily taught at home while children are small, by simply being read to every day.
Because adults can get tired of the same stories, try tape recording your voice as you read. Unlike purchased recorded books, these will be by your child’s favorite person, you! Include in the recording your comments, such as, “Do you see where the turtle is hiding?” or “Why do you think Goldilocks was running?” If you also include cues for when to turn the page (like ringing a bell or simply saying, “Please, turn the page.”), children can then listen to these tapes and look at the books independently. Remember, “an apple a day ...?” A book a day (or two or three) is a habit as healthy for the mind as an apple is for the body.
