By Elizabeth Hamilton, M.Ed
For Variety

AS parents, we know that children love to listen to stories. Many parents, however, may not know is that reading aloud to their children every day is one of the most important things that they can do for their education.
Extensive studies have shown that reading aloud to children every day:
• Develops a positive attitude toward reading
• Increases vocabulary
• Expands the child’s knowledge base
• Stimulates imagination
• Sharpens observation skills
• Enhances listening skills
• Promotes self-confidence and self-esteem
• Improves critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Helps them do better in school
Choosing books to read aloud
1. Choose a storybook you will enjoy reading aloud. Your enthusiasm or lack of it will show. (Note: Always read the book before you read it aloud to your child.)
2. Select stories that have an interesting plot, frequent dialogue, and are appropriate for your child’s age.
3. Match the length of the story with your child’s attention span. Begin with short selections and increase the story length gradually. In the beginning, try using two or three short books in place of a longer story.
4. If the book you’ve chosen does not interest your child, stop the reading with a simple statement such as, “It looks like this is not the right book for us today.” Move on to another book or activity.
5. Expect your child to have favorite books. Honor his/her requests to read them over and over again. Rereading the story over and over helps children become familiar with the story plot and the vocabulary in it. But do keep introducing new selections.
6. As you find authors and illustrators you like, look for more of their books.
Guidelines for reading aloud
1. Find a comfortable place for you and your child. Be sure that your child can see the book. When introducing a book, always include the following three things:
• A short sentence or two that relates the book to your child.
• The title of the book.
• The author and/or illustrator of the book.
2. Position the book so that your child can see the illustrations. This is very important because children are “reading” the pictures as you read the words.
3. Read with expression. Change the pitch (high/low), tone (gentle/rough), and volume (soft/loud) of your voice to show different characters or create a mood.
4. Pace your reading to fit the story. Do not read too quickly. Children need enough time to look at the pictures and think about what they are hearing.
5. Allow your child the opportunity to ask lots of questions about the pictures and talk to you about what they see and hear.
6. Ask the children to take part in any story that has a repetitive phrase. For example, they will enjoy repeating, “Hundreds of cats, Thousands of cats, Millions and billions and trillions of cats,” in “Millions of Cats” by Wanda Gag or, “Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” in Alexander and the “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst.
Remember that reading aloud every day doesn’t mean that you have to read a book from cover to cover in one night. Just set aside a special time for reading aloud every day and enjoy this special time together with your child.