Reading to Your Child: How to Maximize the Benefits of Story Time

Reading to your baby or child is one of the best things you can do to help his or her education. According to a report written by the Department of Education Commission on Reading , "average minutes per day reading books was the best predictor of reading comprehension, vocabulary size and gains in reading achievement between the second and fifth grades." Reading promotes language development, literacy skills, and is a great way to spend time with your kids. Here are some strategies for maximizing the benefits reading can have for your child.

Ask Questions

Throughout the story, ask your child questions. This encourages further thinking. The type of questions you ask depends on your child's age level. A baby or young toddler can be asked questions such as, what animal is this? What sound does it make? What color is this? Older children can be asked more difficult questions that encourage prediction and awareness of other's thoughts and feelings. What do you think will happen next? Why do you think this character said that? How do you think she's feeling right now? Ask both rhetorical questions, to encourage thought, and actual questions that your child can answer.

Read with Feeling

Raise your voice in suspense when an exciting part of the story is happening. Read with a sad tone if something bad happens. Use different voices for different characters. This will help to boost your child's interest in the story.

The Importance of Pictures

Show your child the pictures in the book and ask questions before you begin reading. Try to help your child's prediction skills by asking them to guess what might happen in the story. Little Red Riding Hood is peeking inside the three bears' house. I wonder what she'll do next? Or, Look at this little boy. What does it look like he's doing in this picture? What do you think the story might be about?

Make your child feel connected to the characters in the book

You can relate things that are going on in the book with things that go on in your child's life. For example, if you're reading a book in which the characters go to the zoo, say to your child, "Remember when we went to the zoo? Wasn't it fun? Do you remember what we saw there?"

Reading to Babies

It's never too early to begin reading to your baby. In fact, some experts believe it's beneficial to read to your baby while he or she is still in the womb! There's no question that your baby, no matter how young, loves the sound of your voice. Read short, rhythmic board books with lots of bright colors. Point out familiar objects in the pictures of the book, such as animals, trees, sun, etc. Babies also love interactive books, such as touch-and-feel books and lift-the-flap books.

Also let your child practice reading to you. If your child loves books and reading, whole new worlds can be opened up to him. Keep a library full of your child's favorite books within easy reach. Keep it filled with educational books at your child's age level as well. Regularly take your child to the library where she can pick out new books to discover. You should also read a lot yourself. If your child sees you doing something they will be more likely to do it themselves. Establish reading as a fun activity and it will be sure to be a big part of your child's life.