Emergent Literacy: Reading Aloud at Home

Reading aloud at home can be one of the most important things a parent can do with their child to support reading development. Reading aloud to emergent readers builds important foundational skills they need to become strong independent readers. When a family member reads aloud to a child they are modeling how to hold and read a book, reading with fluency and expression, and introducing new vocabulary and ideas. Reading aloud to a child encourages them to create meaning from the text and connect their own ideas and prior experiences. Reading at home in a relaxed atmosphere can encourage your child to ask questions of unfamiliar words and ideas, and promotes deeper thinking about a text. Reading aloud to emergent readers helps them learn how to use language to make sense of the unfamiliar world around them, as well as improves their information processing skills, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

Here is a short video from Reading Rockets that talks more about why it's so important to read aloud to your child at home every day!