Five tips to encourage reading with children

It’s February, and by now, many New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside. But if one of your resolutions was to read more with your family, there is still time to tackle those goals. Here are some tips from Mary Taylor, one of the members of the reading specialist cohort in the Virginia Tech School of Education. 

Let your child pick

Letting your kids pick the book or topic for story time, even if it’s above their current reading levels, can help encourage them to develop a love of reading. 

“When children learn that enjoyment can be experienced through a book, they are likely to continue reading as they get older,” said Taylor. “Parents can provide as much help as needed, even if it is reading the whole book aloud.”

Don’t just read something once 

According to Taylor, doing multiple readings of one book can help children develop fluency and independence. But doing multiple readings doesn’t simply mean reading something more than once. 

Here’s what this would look like in practice:  

• First reading: Parent reads aloud while touching each word as the child watches and listens.
• Second reading: Parent reads a phrase or sentence and the child repeats it, also known as an “echo read.” 
• Third reading: Parent and child read at the same time, also known as a “choral read.” 
• Fourth reading: Child reads alone.

Read books with word play

Reading books that have word play, such as rhyming or alliteration, can promote what’s called phonological awareness, the awareness of and ability to work with sounds in spoken language. Taylor said this skill is critical for future reading ability. 

Act it out 

Taylor said to focus on reading so it sounds like how you would talk - with pauses, intonation, and expression. This practice is also known as prosody. Then, read the same thing again with a different voice, speed or tone and ask your child how it changes their perception of the character. 

Have fun

It’s important to engage in activities during or after reading, Taylor said. 

• Draw a picture of your favorite character or setting.
• Act out a favorite scene.
• Talk or write about alternative events and how they would change the story.
• Retell the story to another family member.
• Go on a word hunt for specific words and write or highlight them, such as recurring words, words following the silent "e" pattern, or words that end with “ing."