Reading statistics show that 83% of children who are read aloud either love it or like it a lot.
Reading to your child starts as early as they are infants. It is one of the most important and classical ways of communicating with your newborn child. And, ideally, you should keep reading to them as toddlers as well. Not only this helps them prosper academically, and inculcate early reading habits, but also helps to strengthen the bond with your child.
In today’s article, we are going to focus on various ways to make a read-aloud more exciting.
7 important tips that can be really helpful for a read-aloud:
Choose the right book
It is very important to choose the right book to get your child interested and engaged. Give them a list of books from different genres to choose from. Make sure to add a few they would like and a few good suggestions from your end.
Try different locations
Try to change the place of reading once in a while. You can choose to sit under a tree, on a swing, or on the porch. They can get also get cozy on their favorite couch or chair or listen at the breakfast table or during bedtime. Each place where they listen to a book can be as unique as the stories themselves.
Make a connection
Help your child make connections between the story and their own life. Ask questions that evoke emotion and reflective inquiry, such as, “What would you do in this situation? Why do you think the character behaved in that way? Have you ever encountered a similar situation? Who does the character remind you of? How does the character feel?”
Dress up
You can make it more fun by dressing up as the main character of the book you are going to read aloud. This really makes the story come alive. Kids can also participate by dressing up as characters or wearing an outfit that coordinates with the theme or location of the book. This really helps set the stage for your read-aloud.
Act it out
Get kids to take ownership of the material by conducting a reader’s theatre in which you have readers act out a scene as if on stage. This works best with texts that contain a lot of interaction between characters.
Engage kids with creativity
Using different voices or accents for each character or acting out parts of the story can make reading aloud more enjoyable for you and your child. Sometimes you may need to read softly or loudly, slow or fast, use funny voices, add facial expressions, throw your arms into the air, or do whatever other gestures you need to do to gain their attention. Basically, use more vocal variety and bodily gestures.
Continue the engagement
Look for creative ways to extend the learning of the book. Are there far-off lands that are featured in the book? Find them on a map together. Complete an art project based on the illustrations or theme in the story, listen to music that is in some way related to the story, or write a sequel or alternate ending to the story.
Try these and let us know if it really worked or if you have any suggestions for our readers.