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Take Your Read Aloud Time to the Next Level

By Adria Flores - Adria's Book Buzz June 25, 2018

Reading aloud to your kids can be an enjoyable bonding experience and a boost to your child’s vocabulary and comprehension. Here are a few tips for making the most of read-aloud time in your home.

Take a Picture Walk
When reading a picture book or chapter book with pictures, beginning and seasoned readers alike can benefit from taking a look at the cover of the book, the title, and the pictures to make predictions about what will happen in the story. This is also an excellent time for you to introduce new vocabulary that your child will encounter in the book.

Model Fluency
When reading aloud with your child, read with energy and excitement. You can even use different voices if you really get into it! Not only does this make story time more fun, it also helps your child learn to read with proper pitch, pauses, speed, and intonation. If your child is already reading, you can even take turns reading page by page or chapter by chapter.

Talk About It!
Good readers are always thinking about what they’ve read. As you read, stop and ask questions, talk about your thinking, make connections, and make predictions. You can model these aloud for your child and ask them to share their ideas as well. You can check for how well your child is understanding a book by asking him or her to summarize at the end of the story or before you begin the next chapter.

Write or Draw About It Too
Writing or drawing about what was read and the connections and understandings that children have can help improve critical thinking skills. You can ask your child to draw or write about what happened in the story, what they think will happen next, how they think the character is feeling, something similar that happened to them and more!

Choose Engaging Books to Read Aloud
One of the best ways to get your child engaged in reading and practicing literacy skills is to read high-quality literature with them. I’m here to help! I am a teacher and reading specialist as well as an Usborne book consultant. When you book an online Usborne book party with me, you’ll receive free and half-priced books just for inviting your friends. The average host receives $140 in FREE books! And the best part is I can help you and your guests choose amazing books that your kids will love! I’m offering a special promotion for Macaroni Kid members: If you host a qualifying party with me in July, I will give you an additional $30 in FREE books! All you have to do is invite your friends and I do the rest. If you are interested in hosting a party or just want some book advice, please contact me at bookbossadria@gmail.com or join my VIP page, Adria's Usborne Book Buzz, for up-to-date information on new releases, special discounts, and more literacy tips.