While You Are Reading

09/02/2009 10:44 pm

Reading time is a special time

Spiritual messages reside within all of the books on our booklist, but you and your child must discover them. We have identified these messages as qualities to teach and nurture. Sometimes these qualities are stated in the title of a book. Sometimes they are suggested
in the description of the book’s content. The qualities emphasized in each book are listed in a column to the right of the book’s description. Whether or not these qualities are realized depends on the way you read the story and what you do to extend and apply its
meaning. There is much more to reading than just saying the words.

Here are a few reading tips:
  • Select a quiet, comfortable place in your home where you can snuggle up and focus on your child and the story.
  • Make reading aloud a special time when you and your child can leisurely enjoy being together and sharing.
  • Don’t be bound to the idea that you must read the entire story word for word.
    • tell the story in your own words
    • encourage your child to tell the story
    • let the pictures tell the story. A child can read pictures long before she can read words
  • Involve your child in the process asking, identifying and exploring are vital parts of the process.
    • ask your toddler to point out the body parts of animals or people (eyes, mouth, legs, etc.) and natural features such as trees, flowers and rocks
    • help your preschool child get inside the story. Talk to her about what is happening and what she thinks will happen next. Identify events and feelings and then ask her if she ever feels this way.
    • Talk about the words and what they mean. Relate words that rhyme with words in the story. Make up rhyming words. Identify the sounds of the words. Point to words on the page that begin with the same letter. Make it a game by saying, “Can you find a word that begins with the same letter (sound)?”
    • Encourage your child to act out the story and the feelings of the characters. Make the story into a play with you and your child being different characters. This may be a good time to involve other family members.
    • Emphasize remembering the names of the characters and what happens in the story. Storybook friends are not only a comforting presence, they stimulate imagination.
Using Your Voice

You can use your voice to add interest and to enhance the message. This will add to your own enjoyment and that of your child. It is really pretty simple when you think about it. You are using your voice all the time. You can become more aware of how you are using it by attending to the:

  • Speed – fast or slow
  • Volume – loud or soft
  • Pitch – high or low
  • Pauses – when and how long

There are ample opportunities to read children’s stories expressively. The characters move and speak fast and slow. They shout and softly whisper and they speak with high, excited voices. Then there are characters with low, somber voices and events that suggest danger or mystery. These may be expressed in a voice that is both low and slow. You can also use your voice to show the
difference in characters within the story. For example in The Three Bears you can use a low voice for papa bear, a soft voice for mama bear and a high voice for baby bear. And Goldilocks’ being startled and frightened can be expressed in a high, fast voice. Finally, you can use pauses to emphasize changes or to call attention to something you want your child to wonder about.

You don’t have to limit the expressive use of your voice to reading. You can employ it on occasion throughout the day when you need to emphasize your message. Of course it can be overused. You don’t want to become a constant performer. Also, it is important not to talk down to your child by using cutesy phrases or baby-talk.