READING ALOUD STORIES

You've heard that reading aloud to your child is important, but do you know why? Research shows that reading aloud to children has multiple benefits. First of all, it builds a child's vocabulary. There are many, many words in both picture books and chapter books that we do not say when we talk. Read this example from the popular book Wonder: "YOUR DEEDS ARE YOUR MONUMENTS." It was one of Mr. Brown's precepts. Or take Hans Christian Anderson's popular story, The Ugly Duckling. It reads, "The duckling remembered the lovely birds, and felt more strangely unhappy than ever." Again, we would say "strangely unhappy.: Most fictional books introduce children to vocabulary words that they may not hear otherwise or are used in a different way than what children are used to.

Much like building vocabulary, stories have sentence structures that also differ from our every-day language. It would seem odd for us to say, "I now feel glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble because it enables me to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around me." That line is also from The Ugly Duckling. Instead, we might say, "Now that I've been through a lot of JUNK in my life, I really appreciate the good times!" Once your child becomes a reader, most of what he reads will have "story syntax," and he'll need to be able to determine it's meaning.

Stories also have a unique, but predictable format. A story usually begins by introducing the characters and/or setting and slowly unfolds the events. There is a problem, climax, and solution. There is usually a theme or lesson to be learned. This predictable format helps children comprehend as they learn to expect these elements when reading.

Of course, reading is fun and a great way to bond with your child. That's always a PLUS! I have a friend who read chapter books to her boys through middle school and junior high. They only stopped because the boys would get frustrated at their mom's slower reading pace. So, they would say, "Just give me the book and let me finish it tonight!" This mom wanted, more than anything, for her boys to love reading. I would say she met her goal!!