Tips for Reading with Young Children

1. Your child may want to hear the same story over and over again.  Repetition builds knowledge in beginning reading.  Encourage your child to finish predictable phrases or rhymes.

2. Allow the child to interrupt you and ask questions or comment on the story.  Ask what might happen next, or what she/he might do in the same situation; this strengthens thinking skills.  Some helpful questions:

     What happened at the beginning, middle, or end of the story?

     What do you think will happen next?

     Why do you think the character did that?

     What would you have done if you were that character?

     What was the best thing about the story?

7. Encourage children in your family to read to each other.  This is good for the reader and the listener.

8. Try to relate stories to things your child has seen on television, in the movies, or in the course of his/her daily life.  This will give more meaning to the reading.

9. Draw attention to the pictures as part of the story.

10. Don’t stretch your child’s attention span to the breaking point when you are reading aloud 

11. Poetry is excellent for reading aloud because rhyming is very important in learning to read.

12. Make sure your child sees you as a reader: reading a newspaper, enjoying a good book, reading a magazine, etc.