Reading aloud with preschoolers is an integral part of early-childhood development.  It is during preschool that young children begin to understand what formal education and learning are like.  That is why preschool is an ideal time period to focus on reading, as well as working on listening and comprehension skills.  Read on to learn some tips for reading aloud with preschoolers.

Give Choices

When reading aloud with preschoolers you should always give them choices of which book or books you will read to them in a session.  It’s also a good idea to let them choose books on their own from age-appropriate sections in the bookstore or library. By allowing preschoolers to have in put in what they are being read it makes the listening, attention, and comprehension components of reading aloud a more positive experience.

Build Vocabulary

Parents should use reading aloud as a tool for building vocabulary.  As you read the story to your preschool pay attention for facial expressions or cues that indicate that they don’t understand the meaning of a word, term, or phrase.  This is the perfect time to teach these words with your child. Additionally, if you come across a word that you know your child has not heard, you should definitely define the word and explain it in the context of the story.

Sounds And Voices

If you really want to make reading fun, you should make sound effects and voices to match certain characters or actions.  You can vary your tone by using different voices for different emotions. You can make animal, train, and car sounds too! Anything to make the reading aloud session fun and memorable.

Relateable Books

If you are bilingual or an English Learner, you can introduce your preschooler to both English and your native language by reading bilingual books.  When children are able to relate to stories being read, they will better retain and learn what they have heard.  Companies such as Lectura Books offer bilingual books for children of all ages.  These books features subjects and experience that these young children can relate to.