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Tips for reading to children
Show enthusiasm. If you’re excited, they will be excited.
Read and enjoy your child’s responses. If you can read the story ahead of time notice your own reaction to the
- Story plot
- Each character
- The art
- Notice the story vibe.
Is it playful, mysterious, adventurous or something else, such as sleepy, grumpy, or sad? Find the meaning of a new word ahead of time. Have a simple synonym ready that your child can understand.
A growing vocabulary can help expand our world view in new ways.
Be prepared to answer questions.
I recommend explaining the meaning of a word right away. Use illustrations to assist with clearing any confusion about what is happening at this part of the story.
You don’t have to be perfect.
Make each voice distinctive.
When you read to your child, make different voices for the characters.
For example, one character may have a deep voice, another might have high voice.
Gaining a sense of a character’s personality will make it easier to decide whether to talk softly or loudly, hesitantly, or confidently.
Unalike voices help make the story feel more real. In life everyone has their own way of expressing what they have to say.
Take your time reading.
Pause at end of each sentence. Give your child time to hear, interpret and internalize what is happening.Â
Let them explore what there is to see in the illustrations before turning to the next page.
Each child needs time to absorb what is happening and decide what it means to them.Â
That said, if the story has an exciting twist or an event where action is happening quickly, speeding up the reading pace at that part, is an effective tool for building excitement.
You can pause before turning a page to ask what your child thinks might happen next. They often love that!
Ask questions and play what if…
After a story has been read; this can be an opportune time to ask your child what they think might happen in the future if the story were to continue.
Inquire as to who was their favourite character.
It’s nice to ask what part of the story they were most fond of.
You might ask your child what they think the main character learned.
Share the story.
As your child learns to read. Sharing the story, can grow their confidence and enjoyment for reading.
An idea could be to let your child do the voice for one character.
It can also be fun to read alternate pages.
You’re there to assist with pronunciation as mistakes happen. It’s good to affirm when they say a new word correctly.Â
It’s better to read to a child imperfectly with mistakes in a flat tone than not at all.Â
As you read more regularly, improvements will come.Â
Start anyway. The message to your child will be that it’s a joy to experience a story together.
This special time reading together will last forever in both your memories, and that is what matters.
Happy reading!