At Aspire Charter Academy, we love reading books! We love watching our students become better readers! And we love Reading Night! This year, Reading Night is on Thursday, October 8th. That’s why we’re using this blog to highlight the benefits of reading aloud to your children.
Countless experts agree that parents reading aloud to children is the biggest predictor of academic success all the way through high school. Most parents read to their students before they enter school, but as children get older, learn to read, and have busier lifestyles, reading aloud together drops off. Yet, the benefits don’t stop at age 6. Let’s focus on a few.
Increased Vocabulary and Improved Language Patterns
As children listen to a book, they are hearing words and phrases they may not normally hear in ordinary, everyday conversations. Authors carefully choose their phrasing to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. This helps prepare students as they advance to harder materials.
Increased Reading Comprehension
When students work hard to decode as they read, they may lose some understanding of what they are reading. When parents are reading, children can spend their mental energy making connections, understanding the plot, and relating to the characters. In short, the story sticks!
Love of Reading and Family Bonding
You can be a reading role model for your children. Frequent readers are surrounded by people in their lives who are excited about reading. What better way to show your excitement than to gather the kids, grab a book and start reading? A recent study showed that over 85% of both kids and parents across all income levels loved reading together and called it a special memory.
Finding Books for Reading Aloud
A quick google search of book lists for kids will give you tons of ideas, but here are 3 links to a huge variety of book ideas.
Once you have some titles you’d like to try, the Orange County Public Library is a great resource to get those books in your hands. They will even deliver to your house. They also have options like Hoopla and Axis 360 for checking out audiobooks you can all listen to. 15 minutes a day is all you need for amazing benefits.
Sources: https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/home.html
The Read Aloud Family, Sarah Mackenzie
