Reading aloud to kids has so many amazing benefits. But some people find it difficult to keep their kids engaged in their reading. These 5 tips for reading with kids will help you to keep your kids entertained and make reading time a favorite part of the day.

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Choose the Right Time

It is really important to choose the right time for reading. This doesn’t necessarily mean right before bed, although for some families, that is the best time. However, you could also choose to read in the morning, during meals or snacks, or during a set time that you agree on. Set the scene and get comfy. Make sure everyone can see the pages and limit distractions around you.

Use Inflection

Put some feeling into it! Change up your voice and use a lot of emphasis. Try different voices. Draw out the tension and play with the words on the page. You don’t have to be comfortable doing a big performance. But changing up your tone and inflection makes the story more engaging, encouraging kids to stay focused.

Reading aloud is a different skill than just reading the words on the page. Consider the distractions that kids face everyday and amp up your own excitement. Just reading the words can’t compete with the bright colors and noises of the screens all around them. But giving them a great performance will keep them interested.

Related: Tips to Rock Your Read Aloud

Ask Questions

Asking kids questions about the book you are reading not only encourages them to stay involved in the story, but also teaches them important reading skills. One of the things drilled into me while studying literacy is that “Good Readers Ask Questions”. They ask questions of the text, of the world, and of themselves.

While my daughter and I read, I ask her what she thinks will happen next, which helps her to develop her prediction skills. I ask her what she thinks a character is thinking. We stop and explore the illustrations: “Do you see the spider hiding there?”. All of these questions get her more involved in the story, and bring us closer together too.

Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook, has said, “Ultimately one must acknowledge that questions are a child’s primary learning tool. Don’t destroy natural curiosity by ignoring it.” Encouraging kids to ask questions, and asking questions of them encourages them to explore the story, and share their curiosity with you. So even on your 180th question of the night, try to remember that they are a good thing!

Encourage Them to Help

I love reading interactive books with my daughter. The Monster at the End of this Book was one of my favorites growing up, and now it is one of hers as well. I love that it gets her excited to turn the page and move forward in the story. She loves to help me turn pages, or find important details in the illustrations. Now that she is getting a handle on rhyme patterns, I like to leave out the last word in the text and let her predict what will come next. This not only helps with rhyming, but also predicting, and using context clues.

She also loves when we read books that have a repeating refrain. We recently received a copy of the book Why? by Adam Rex and Claire Keane and she loved “reading” it along with me. The story follows a young girl at the mall when a super villain decides that he wants to take over the world. The little girl simply asks him “why?”. As he struggles to answer, he unpacks years of frustration and a desire to make his father proud. All along the way, the little girl continues to ask “why?”. My daughter takes over the part of the little girl, and repeats the question whenever it appears on the page. It has quickly become one of our favorites to read aloud.

Related Post: The Benefits of Reading Interactive Books with Kids

Practice!

Practice isn’t just for new readers! If you think of it as a performance, then it’s no different than learning lines for a play. Especially if you are not confident in your reading abilities or your comfort level with reading aloud, then practicing will help. Yes, you may feel a little silly reading a children’s book aloud to yourself, but if it leads to a fun reading session with your kids, then what is the harm?

I’m an introvert by nature, but I really wanted to be a teacher, so I practiced reading aloud a lot so that I would feel more confident reading in front of a classroom full of children. Now my daughter is reaping the benefits of my energetic read-alouds!

What are your tips for reading with kids? Share in the comments below!

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