IST 605: Reading Aloud To Your Children

"The Story So Far: A Systematic Review of the Dialogic Reading Literature" (Pillinger & Vardy, 2022)

In this article, the authors review prior research on the subject of dialogic reading, which is a type of shared reading strategy that encourages active participation from children. They describe what the research says about what dialogic reading looks like, how it can be implemented during read alouds, and the benefits that children can receive from engaging in it. While the authors of this literature review identified that many of the studies on this subject were limited to some extent, they do note that evidence from the current body of research suggests that dialogic reading can have a positive impact on the development of several literacy and social-emotional skills, especially for children under 5 years old. This article is a helpful resource not only because it reveals some of the benefits of reading aloud with children, but also because it outlines a specific strategy for reading aloud that parents and guardians could adopt and utilize with their own children.

Image by Ilona S from Pixabay

The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections With Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie

Sarah Mackenzie is a mother of six and host of the podcast Read-Aloud Revival. She spends the majority of this book advising parents and guardians on how they can incorporate a habit of reading aloud into their busy schedules and how they can use questions and conversations to maximize effectiveness and connect with their children. This is one of the few resources in this guide that also discusses how reading aloud continues to be important in your child's teenage years and details how reading aloud can grow with your child. Additional features of the book include:

• A discussion of the benefits of reading aloud 
• The debunking of myths related to the practice
• Lists of recommended titles by age group and resources for parents

This book is an interesting resource because the author writes about both the research related to reading aloud and her personal experiences as a mother who reads aloud to her children. Of course, every child and family is different and not everyone enjoys the same books, so one must keep in mind the subjectivity of some of the author's anecdotes and recommendations. 

• At the Colonie Library, this book is shelved in the parent/teacher nonfiction section under the call number PT J372.45 MAC. If our copy is checked out, the Guilderland Public Library and the Petersburgh Public Library both have copies that can be requested online or at any of the service desks. 
• This book is also available as an audiobook on Libby or an ebook on Hoopla. 

This video from the newspaper Education Week features children's librarians and literacy professionals giving advice to parents and guardians about reading aloud to their children. While they state that there is really no "wrong" way to go about it, they recommend using strategies such as asking questions, practicing word identification, and reading a variety of books to increase the effectiveness of read alouds. They also emphasize the importance of spending time with your child through shared reading. This brief video packs in a lot of useful information for parents and guardians and its conversational tone makes it a very approachable resource on the subject of reading aloud. 

PBS KIDS Read! from PBS KIDS for Parents

This web page for parents and guardians contains links to several articles and resources created by fellow parents and experts that provide tips related to maximizing the effectiveness of read alouds and to getting your children excited about books and reading. It also touches upon the benefits children receive from listening to read alouds. At the bottom of the page, you can find reading activities and online games from PBS KIDS that can help to promote the development of various literacy skills. This read aloud resource from a familiar brand is targeted toward parents and guardians with younger children and is essentially multiple resources in one. It may be a helpful source of both information and inspiration for activities you can do with your child.