It’s a busy life filled with lots of things to do and even more distractions. But there’s one pursuit that can be fun for everyone involved, plus it has benefits that will have a lifelong impact. All that’s needed is a comfy place, an adult, one child or more, and a good book to share.
Kindergarteners — they’re growing up, and so is their taste in books. They’re developing relationships with other children, acquiring empathy. Reading aloud to children lets them see how different characters in different situations behave toward others. It also helps children understand the way language works. They hear how sentences are put together, grasping the meaning of words either in context or when talking with the adult. Often these verbal exchanges extend beyond the book as children begin to relate what happens in books connects to their world. Children at this age can often listen to longer stories or hear chapters from longer books.
See also: Great Read Alouds for Kids: Babies to Grade 3.
Build on your young listener’s love of words, information, and story with lots of reading aloud. You’re building their experiences while building vocabulary. Remember, young children can understand many more spoken words than they use. And the language in books tends to be greater and more diverse than the words we use everyday when talking with children. Preschoolers enjoy simple books as well as more complex books, the sound of language — even nonsensical words — and a good laugh; after all, they’re developing a sense of humor!
See also: Great Read Alouds for Kids: Babies to Grade 3.
The world is a big place and there’s no better to meet it than between the covers of a book shared between parents or caring adult and a child. Most children are emerging readers by now but are still building both receptive language (what they hear) as well as expressive language (what they say). They’re also expanding their interests and putting ideas together in new and different ways. Books – timeworn and new, fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose – shared aloud allows both adult and child to explore together.
See also: Great Read Alouds for Kids: Babies to Grade 3.
Often adults think just because children can read by themselves that reading aloud is no longer important. It is! What better way to tackle tough topics than by sharing a book and talking about it? Questions may include what a child thinks of a character’s behavior or actions (what would you do if…? Or how would it feel to be in…?). Interests and ideas keep on coming but remember, children’s reading levels are usually lower than what they understand when books are shared aloud. Empathy, experience, vocabulary and a love of language continue to grow long after children can read by themselves.
See also: Great Read Alouds for Kids: Babies to Grade 3.
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GreatTeacher.net is a community organization and website portal dedicated to the sharing of resources and information about the field of education and teaching. GreatTeacher.net was established in 1999 as a resource for students and educators, and all who are interested in the field of education. This website was created by educators as a platform to provide knowledge and disseminate information and provide free services to the education community.
Greg Tang is on a mission to improve the quality of math education and understanding in the United States. Each year he travels the country, giving hundreds of workshops and presentations for teachers and students. With a background in economics, business, and math education, Tang is intent on developing “a more intuitive approach to math, one that combines problem-solving and arithmetic and integrates math with language and art.” In addition to writing engaging picture books such as The Grapes of Math and The Best of Times, Tang also develops teaching guides, workbooks, flash cards, and math games.
