A lot of my posts will be about reading and children. I do have a lot to share in that area. If you are interested in reading to children and how reading aloud to children has a positive impact on them I would encourage you to read The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. In the first several chapters he provides both anecdotal and data driven research on how important it is for children to hear literature being read to them by a caring adult. He suggests that reading aloud to children is beneficial through high school years. The benefits vary from enabling children to develop the special bond that forms with a caring adult who is sharing time with them to helping a high school student score higher on their verbal SATs because of the increased vocabulary the student has developed from years of being read to.
I know a lot of times parents think that since their child is already reading long chapters books by fourth grade that they are too old to have books read aloud to them. This book, and my own experience as a classroom teacher, suggests otherwise. I know first hand that children in grades 4-8 love to be read to; you just need to find the right book. At the end of Jim Trelease's book you will find chapters devoted to book suggestions along with summaries to help you choose the right book to read. Jim's website is also filled with a lot of information on reading aloud and even more book suggestions.
Enjoy reading aloud to your favorite young person! My next post I'll write about audio books so both of you can enjoy being read to.
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