Is how we read to our children important?

-- Mary Shuraleff

Many studies have shown that parents who read to their children improve the child’s chance of becoming a good reader and enjoying books. We all know that a child who is a good reader has a much greater chance of succeeding in school. However, does how we read to children make a difference?

I like to read to children. I have acted like a fool while reading to preschoolers at a child-care center. I wanted to show them these weren’t just words in the books but they were expressions of the characters’ feelings and emotions. I exaggerated to make my point and they loved it. “Read another book, Mrs. S!” they would cry when it was time for me to go.

I asked questions. Which character did you like? Were you scared when the old man yelled? Why did the little girl cry? I also asked about the pictures. What are they doing? What do you think is going to happen? Do you see the bunny hiding behind the bush? My goal was to engage the children and make it fun.

Today I am tutoring young readers at an inner-city elementary school in South Minneapolis. It’s not as much fun as acting like a fool at the child-care center, however it’s important. These kids are second graders and they must learn to read. They must practice and sound-out the words they don’t know. Some of the children are eager to sit with me and show me the book they chose. For others, their body language says, “I want to be anywhere but here.” What a shame. I wonder if these children are read to outside of school and how they are read to.

I am a friend of a family who are immigrants from Kuwait. Like most immigrants, they went through many hardships to live in the US. The parents tell me they came to the US so their children would have a life filled with many opportunities. The parents believe education is the key to a good life. The family knows English and I have seen the parents reading to their children from library books. The two-year old loves to be read to. The five-year old does not. When I observe, the two-year old seems to think being read to is fun. He sits with Mom, looks at the cute pictures and listens to Mom’s voice.

The 5 year old sits with Mom but is expected to read some of the simple words and to try and sound-out some of the words he doesn’t know. Sometimes the mother covers up the pictures so he can’t “cheat.” I see his frustration and soon he no longer wants to read with Mom. His parents want him to be more than ready for kindergarten. They want to provide him with every opportunity. They are trying their best. However I am afraid they may be turning him off to reading.

Help excite kids about books by making reading to them fun. When we read to children, for the sheer enjoyment of it, we are actually teaching and they are learning, without the drilling and the grilling. We should continue to read, to and with, our children, even after they have begun to read. However, reading to them is not enough; how we read to them is important. Let’s make it an enjoyable experience.