Think Aloud

Without even trying, children are learning to think and act like good readers when you share books with them. A way to get more out of reading time is to talk while reading.

To help children make connections between what they are hearing and what they already know, parents can use a strategy called think-aloud, where they talk through thoughts as they read. This is a strategy that can improve reading comprehension.

Connect Books to Life Experiences

While reading a book, relate it to something that you and your child have experienced. You can use phrases like "this reminds me of the time we..." or "remember when this happened to us?".

Connect Books to Other Books You've Read

Relate the story you are reading to other stories you have previously read. Point out the similarities and differences. You can use words like "both", "different", "similar" to compare and contrast the two stories.

Connect Books to Big Ideas

Talk about the general message or lesson of the story. You could say, "this story is helping me understand that..." or "I am learning that...".

In these examples, you are "thinking aloud" many of the connections that good readers make naturally as they read. Modeling these types of connections will help young readers know how to do it when they read alone.