Simply read aloud!
Reading aloud is a wonderful experience. This has also been evident in the past few weeks in distance learning with the young and older children. My team colleagues were delighted to report that the Friday morning reading session, although voluntary, was very popular. «The whole class stayed, even though the sunny weather tempted us outside! And this every Friday!»
A team colleague from the kindergarten said that many of the children in her class had watched the self-recorded videos of the picture book on the kindergarten's website over and over again. It's great that we were able to bring joy to so many children with the distance learning reading session. Reading aloud is and remains a wonderful, communal experience and supports the children in their development.
Children who are read to a lot can concentrate better and have a longer listening time.
It's not just us teachers who think this, it's also confirmed by experts: Reading aloud promotes concentration, and listening can be learnt. Children who are read to a lot are able to concentrate better and have longer listening stamina. They also have a larger vocabulary than their peers of the same age who have not been read to. They learn to read and write more easily and therefore have better educational opportunities.
Young children first encounter literature through reading aloud. They hear how the language sounds and unconsciously absorb its narrative and language patterns. These help them to understand and interpret texts more easily later on.
Stories stimulate children's imagination and encourage their creativity and ability to express themselves. Age-appropriate stories offer good conversation starters to deal with everyday worries and conflicts in a familiar setting.
In order for young people to benefit from reading aloud, parents should choose the reading material together with them.
Regardless of the promotional aspects, reading aloud should be fun first and foremost. Reading aloud means spending time together and being there for each other. Reading aloud offers children the opportunity to experience closeness and attention. The fact that dad, mum, granddad, grandmother or another person takes the time to read aloud is just as important as the main characters in the story.
- Choose a favourable moment in your daily routine. This could be before bedtime, after lunch or before doing homework.
- A cosy place is worth a lot when reading aloud. The aim is to create a relaxed atmosphere for reading aloud. This requires time and peace and quiet.
- If you are not reading a digital book or looking at a picture book app together, switch off your mobile phone and the TV during reading time.
- Choosing the «right story» is also important. The «right» stories for a child are those that are age-appropriate and that interest them. To check whether a story is age-appropriate, you can use the age of the main characters in the story as a guide.
- Let your child choose the reading book themselves and be patient if your child wants to hear the same story again. If a child says: «One more time!», this is a good sign that you are doing everything «right». If you have several children, let them take turns choosing their reading books.
- You don't have to be a professional reader. It is not crucial that you are a gifted storyteller, but that you give your child time, attention and your own enthusiasm for the world of fantasy and words.
- For inexperienced readers: Just start! Reading aloud does not end with the last sentence of the story. After reading aloud, it is important to talk about what you have heard. Specific questions can stimulate the conversation: What did you particularly like about the story? Have you ever experienced anything like it? Talking about the story creates closeness and really rounds off the reading time.
- Read aloud regularly, preferably every day, because children like rituals. They give them a sense of security and create anticipation. It's best to work out how long your reading rituals should last together with your child. Regularity is important, because just five minutes of reading aloud per day will have a positive effect on your child's development.
- Reading aloud knows no age limit! Even children who can already read can enjoy reading aloud rituals. So read to your child even if they can already read themselves. Even teenagers and adults enjoy listening.
In an interview in our association newspaper «Bildung Schweiz», Barbara Jakob, responsible for literary promotion at the Swiss Institute for Child and Youth Media (SIKJM), said: «Reading aloud definitely doesn't have an expiry date, it's always possible to get involved. Due to their advanced development, young people have a much stronger connection to deeper things - i.e. literary language and inner images.» The expert emphasises that the ability to create inner images must be continuously nurtured in people. And the ability to listen must also be practised and strengthened in both young people and adults.
Basic reading skills can still be promoted at secondary level by reading aloud.
When we read aloud, we learn to filter out information from what we hear. In the study «Promoting reading through reading aloud», project leader Jürgen Belgrad, Professor of Literature at the University of Education in Weingarten near Ravensburg, makes it clear that basic reading skills can also be enhanced at secondary level through reading aloud activities.
Also read to young people
Young people are growing up in a media world dominated by the visual. As a result, the ability to listen is somewhat lost. Reading aloud more often helps to build up the ability to concentrate on longer texts. In order for young people to benefit from reading aloud, they need to be motivated to listen. For this reason, it is also important to choose the reading aloud with young people and to ensure that the content is close to their world.
The books should not contain too many characters and perspectives and should have a clear, linear storyline. Subsequent dialogue is also very important for young people. What the text triggers must be given space and discussed. I wish you and your children many wonderful reading experiences! The link www.einfachvorlesen.de inspired me to write the title and tips for my article.
