Read Aloud Tips for Parents:

1. Read aloud to your child everyday. Make it a regular part of your daily schedule.

2. Allow your child to select the book to be read. Choose books borrowed from the public library, as well as books from your child’s own personal library.

3. Sit your child close to you when reading aloud. Let your child assist you by holding the book or turning the pages.

4. Read the title of the book to your child. Tell your child the author’ and illustrator’s names. Read several books by the same author and/or illustrator.

5. Look at the cover of the book. Ask your child to predict what he/she thinks it will be about.

6. Use expression while reading the story. Change your voice for different characters.

7. Read the text exactly as it is written. Allow your child to “read” the repeated lines in the story.

8. Ask questions during the story. Sometimes, just read the story without interruptions.

9. Encourage your child to use the illustrations to get details and clues about the story.

10. After reading, summarize the story in your own words.

“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in school is reading aloud to children…parents play roles of inestimable importance in laying the foundation for learning to read.”

From: Becoming a Nation of Readers