Researched Based Findings: The Benefits of Reading Aloud To Children
The summer break is quickly escaping and many parents have reached out to me asking for a quick fix for the reading work that their child didn’t do during the summer. If your child didn’t read for 20 or more minutes most days this summer you're not alone.
Well... I am sorry to tell you that there is no quick fix. But there is a shortcut that may help.
Research shows that reading volume-how much a child reads- matters. If kids haven’t read much during the summer they are at risk of losing as much as 2-3 reading levels when they return to school. If your child didn’t put in the reading work for the past two months they will be behind when the bell rings.
But what is a parent to do?
Fortunately, while there is no quick fix, there is a shortcut that will help. Reading aloud to and with children has a solid research base to support better reading performance and can prove to be just what is needed to help get back on track.
Here are just a few of benefits of read-alouds that research has shown to support improved reading:
- Expands Vocabulary. Massaro (2017) research showed that the vocabulary in children’s picture books are three times more likely to encounter new words during read-alouds than in regular conversation. ** Stop and talk about unfamiliar words. Don’t simply read the unfamiliar words without defining the word in context.
- Enhances Listening Skills: Morrow & Gambrell’s(2002) work documents that listen comprehension precedes reading comprehension, and the child’s ability to understand spoken words a precursor to reading and using the words. ** Ask your child to repeat the word immediately when encountering the word. At the conclusion of the read-aloud review the words again. Ask your child to write a sentence using the word.
- Develops Syntactic Skills: Lane & Wright(2007) found that exposure to diverse sentence structures and grammatical patterns improve the learners ability to use complex language constructs and supported grasping the rules of language. ** Point out and discuss interesting sentence structure and the author’s word choice.
- Supports Word Recognition: Stahl(2003) points out that exposing children to a wide range of vocabulary in different contexts allows them to become familiar with the appearance and sounds of words.** Have your child keep a personal dictionary of words and phrases they encounter during the read-aloud.
- Encourages Imagination and Creativity: The read-aloud(Beck, 2020) is a gateway to realms of imagination and creativity. Through stories children are transported to other worlds and cultures.** Have your child create a story based on the read-aloud changing story element, characters, problem, resolution.
The critical consideration when reading aloud to children is to make the experience interactive. Simply reading the text limits the inherent benefits and potential power of the read-aloud. If your child hasn’t read much this summer try scheduling two or more read-aloud sessions each day, if possible, before school starts. Sessions should be short-about 10-15 minutes.
You will be pleasantly surprised what a difference multiple read-alouds sessions will make.
** Parent tips to incorporate in read-alouds
Dr. Mario Campanaro is a reading researcher and author and provides reading professional staff development to schools. He is also available for private tutoring for students of all ages. He can be reached at 214-403-6787 or by email at mario1206@att.net.