Reading to Kids at a GlanceDec. 28, 2014
Some time ago we dedicated our posts to reading aloud with kids and we published loads of tips you can follow. You’ll find them if you scroll down our blog page. There are so many of them that you might catch yourself thinking if you can remember them all. Well, we are here to help you!
Basically, you can split all reading activities into 3 groups:
- Reading itself
Pre-reading activities are mostly used to create suspense. The story you are going to read is brand new for your kids, and they do not have the slightest idea what is going to happen. This is the right time to make your kids look forward to reading. Let them look at the book cover and predict what the story is going to be about. I can promise they’ll be dying to know if they guessed correctly!
The best thing you can do during the reading phase is to be emotional to express the feelings of the main characters. You can also let your children point to the corresponding pictures while you are reading. This will keep them focused on the book.
Post-reading activities are all about discussing the story. Ask kids which of their ideas about the book were correct, and what went differently from what they expected. If you goal is to teach your kids reading, you can then practice it with them. If you simply want to enjoy the story and have fun, it might be a good idea to do some real life activities related to the story.
Our next blog post is going to be dedicated to the story of the three little pigs, particularly to the fun activities you can do with your kids after reading it. Come back on Friday!