Mrs. Arico's Tips for Parents
Reading Aloud With Your Child
Why read aloud?
Reading aloud opens up doors! Children hear magical words that take them to far away times and places. They listen to information that intrigues them. They come to realize that books are filled with endless adventures and amazing journeys. It is through reading aloud that children come to know the power and beauty of learning to read for themselves.
Consider the toddler who sits on his mother’s lap and listens to the same story over and over again as he claps his hands with glee, and begins a journey into the imagination. The joy of listening to stories should not end when a child enters the classroom door. Instead, it should just begin there.
In Mrs. Arico's class, your child will have the opportunity to experience this pleasure in the classroom as well as at home. I try to read at least 2 books a day to the children. Invite children into the wonderful world of books by reading aloud daily and then by making the text available for further exploration.
apture Their Attention
Capture your young audience’s attention by reading with flair. You are modeling oral fluency while drawing them into the story with your voice. Read with inflection and dramatic pauses. Try on character voices. Bring the story to life by giving the words a lift with your emotion and facial expressions. It won’t be long before you find your students more willing to take risks during their own oral readings.
Reading aloud is the golden key to unlock the windows of success. Every time you read aloud, you are exposing your child to new vocabulary in context, to information, to different places and times, to the emotions and traits of various characters, and to the many different genres. When you read aloud to your child, you are giving them a precious gift to be treasured forever.
Selecting the Text
The rule of thumb for reading aloud is to select a text that is no more than two years above the average independent reading level. Consider the maturity of the text versus the maturity of your child. Always preread your selections to make sure that they are appropriate. If you want to share in the joy of discovering a book for the first time with your students, ask Mrs. Arico or a librarian to recommend a favorite.
Picture books provide excellent choices for all ages. A fifth grader can enjoy a story like The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg as well as a first grader. Picture books also lend themselves well for the study of reading strategies or writing craft.
Reading aloud creates the perfect setting for modeling thinking as you encounter different text structures, notice the author’s craft, or focus on a reading strategy. Read from different genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Integrate reading aloud throughout the curriculum. There are many wonderful books that fit science, social studies, and math topics. Read aloud current events, a short piece taken from a longer book, a funny comic, a silly joke, a motivational poem, a quote, information on school activities. The list of options is endless. There is enough to choose from that you never need to let a day go by without reading something aloud.
Our time in the classroom is valuable, and we don’t have a minute to waste. Consider reading aloud as the foundation for learning to read. Take advantage of every opportunity to read to your child. Let each day be a new adventure awaiting you and your child. The rewards of reading aloud are priceless, and the instructional value is tremendous.
If you have any further questions, please contact me at
Thank you,
Mrs. Arico