Tips for parents reading books aloud to their children

When parents read aloud to their young children, they can also do any of the following, which teachers do all the time. As I noted before, when parents and teachers share some of the common methods in helping children understand books, the child gains confidence at home and school that he is a reader.

While you read the book, let your child make comments on events and characters in the story. Part of good reading is having ideas about what one is reading, and then sharing them with someone else. Reading is not always a solitary activity, and for young readers should always involve talk. It helps them connect text and their thoughts. As we read to our sons, we let them make comments, urge the character on, even giggle at the funny spots. When they talked about the story, we knew they were reading and making connections.

Parents can also ask the child to make a prediction about what will happen next or what will be said next or where the actions will lead. Children are not as experienced in reading as adults are, so parents and teachers expect children to understanding books differently. When the child states opinions or makes connections or asks questions, he learns that his experiences are valuable and what he knows is also important to the adult. This helps to support the child as a reader. When our boys made outrageous predictions or fanciful story lines for what would occur next, we understood that they were trying to make sense of the book and, by reading further, they would self-correct their ideas. This is a natural part of reading.

Encouraging comments and discussing predictions and the like are meaningful ways for parent and teacher to know if the child understands the story. Children learn much about reading by reading aloud and by being read to by an adult.

Dr. Duane Pitts is a former English teacher at Odessa High School.