How to Read with Your Child

How to Read With Your Child Some Dos and Don'ts of Read-Aloud from The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

1. Begin reading to children as soon 16. Bring a book whenever you travel as possible. The younger you start 9. Avoid long descriptive passages with a child. Traffic jams and long them, the better. until the child's imagination and vacation hours in the car are attention span are capable of perfect opportunities for reading handling them. There is nothing aloud. 2. Use Mother Goose rhymes and wrong with paraphrasing them. songs to stimulate the infants language. Simply, but boldly drawn 17. Fathers should make an extra effort picture books will help arouse the 10. If you must quit in the middle of a to read aloud to their children. Not child's sense of sight and curiosity. chapter, find a suspenseful place to enough children see male role stop. models reading.

3. Read as often as you and the child have time for. 11. Allow time for discussion during 18. Regulate the amount of time your and after reading a book. children spend in front of the Capitalize on teachable moments. television. Excessive viewing is 4. Start with picture books and build habit forming and damaging to a to storybooks and novels. child's development. 12. Reading aloud gets better and easier with practice. 19. If possible, preview the book to 5. Allow your listeners a few minutes make sure that both you and the to settle down and adjust their children will enjoy it. bodies and minds to the story. If 13. Use plenty of expression when appropriate, you could begin by reading. Adjust your pace to fit the asking what happened yesterday. story. Bring the listeners to the edge of their chairs.

6. Vary the length and subject matter 14. The most common mistake is reading of your readings. too fast. Read slowly enough for the child to form mental images of what you 7. Follow through with your reading. read. Don't leave children hanging for 15. Do fun follow-up family activities three or more days. whenever possible. 8. Occasionally read above your children's intellectual level and challenge their minds.