From the desk of Sandra Fritcher, Lower School Principal:

Did you know there is research that suggests we are raising the most distracted generation in the history of the world? Because of all the electronics available, our kids are getting hooked on screens. Parents should set time limits on using the screens, but the adults are also hooked. One parent is doing online shopping, while the other parent is watching the game, emailing or texting. Consequently, the family’s intellectual worth is at stake. How can we insure that our children will be intellectually prepared and ready to communicate in an effective and productive way?

Reading aloud to your child is one practice that parents can use to help a child be confident in communication skills. Reading aloud to your child is special. The time spent with your child helps build a relationship, but it also helps build vocabulary and reading skills. Reading aloud helps your child learn to love books and want to read. It also increases a child’s attention span and gives your child a head start for the early years of school.

Research confirms that a child who comes to school with a large vocabulary does better than a child who has little familiarity with words and/or a low vocabulary.  In the early years of school (prekindergarten, kindergarten, first grade), kids aren’t reading yet or they are just starting to read.  The teacher is talking all the time to the kids.  Most of the teaching is oral, and the kids with the largest vocabularies have an advantage because they understand most of what the teacher is saying.

Children do not say words or understand words they haven’t heard before. In fact, children remember words they have heard multiple times. Because of this, the children who are spoken to and read to most often are going to have the largest vocabularies. Parents definitely need to talk to their children, but reading aloud to children is also super important because the language in books is in complete sentences, is very rich and expressive, and is more complicated and sophisticated than just words in conversation.

When your child is young, there are several suggestions for reading aloud. Read regularly. Try to read to your child every day. You might aim for 10-15 minutes of bedtime reading for a peaceful end to the day, or read during a sibling’s sports activity/practice. Your child may want to hear old favorites again and again, and this is OK. Let your child participate. He or she can finish sentences that rhyme or fill in words. You can use different voices for different characters (a high squeaky voice for a mouse or a deep, booming voice for a horse) or substitute your youngster’s name for the main character’s name, and use family members’ names for other characters.

But what about the older child who already knows how read? When should you stop reading aloud to our child? You should be reading aloud to your child even in Middle School. Why?  Your child’s reading level will not catch up to his listening level until eighth grade. So, for example, you should be reading seventh grade books aloud to fifth graders. Kids are ready to hear and discuss more complicated stories, even if they can’t read at that level. Reading aloud with an older child is a good way to discuss important or difficult issues, such as friends and behavior and values. When you talk about a story with your child, you will not be lecturing your child, but instead you will be helping your child grow and learn, while also developing a relationship with you.

Reading aloud to your child is a win/win for both you and your child. Remember, you don’t have to be an expert reader. You just need to be willing to share the time. Your child will love it and so will you.