You’ve been spending all of that time reading to your kids each and every day; don’t accidentally undermine your hard work! There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to share books with children.

You want to make the most of reading time. Give your children every possible advantage. Use these tips to maximize benefits and you will rest assured that you are making the most of read-aloud time.

Mistake #1: Taking Literary Short Cuts

This mistake most likely happens when you are in a hurry. Maybe it’s bedtime or nap time and you want to move on with the routine. You skip a few words or even pages to shorten story time. After all, the kids are too young to notice, right?

Wrong! Often they DO notice, and they can get the impression that you are rushing.

More importantly, their developing brains notice, even if there’s no conscious protest.

Reading aloud to kids is building a host of foundational skills. An important one is the match-up between text and words.

When you go “off-script,” you risk disrupting this natural pairing. Kids don’t make the connection between printed and spoken words as they should.  This subconscious disconnect can undermine the process of learning to read.

Mistake #2: Refusing to Reread Books Regularly

Raise your hand if your child has latched onto a book for no apparent reason and wants to hear the story over and over and over again. Ever get bored reading it? I think we all do.

However, there are some really good reasons to bite the bullet and reread that book a hundred times or more, even if it’s not exactly what you’d like to be doing.

The best reason is that children learn about the permanence of written language when they hear stories over and over again. The concept that once it’s set down in writing, language does not change is something we take for granted. Young children, however, have no such assurance. It takes a lot of repetition to convince them that the story is always going to turn out the same way.

Rereading stories also nurtures memory skills. Kids discover that they can recall the outcome of the story or even specific phrases and sentences. They learn about how memory works, and this is a very important concept. So reread those books! Reread them as often as your child asks. Know that the boredom pays off in increased mental agility and skill down the road.

Mistake #3: Being Boring

Kids like action, there’s no doubt about it. When reading to your kids, make sure you liven things up regularly.  Make the funny voices, change your tone, vary your pacing and so forth. Keep them guessing about what is coming next.

When you bring all of your dramatic skills to bear, you will make reading time engaging and fun. The kids will want to come back for more! You also will be nurturing creativity and imagination skills in the youngsters.

Mistake #4: Keeping a Rigid Schedule

It’s easy to want to compartmentalize reading to your kids so you know just when to fit it into your schedule. Maybe it’s a habit to read before bedtime, or perhaps you always share books right after nap time. Be careful about losing flexibility, though! It’s important to drop what you are doing and read to them when they are asking.

When you read to kids spontaneously, you are showing how important you believe reading to be. You are also showing your children that you put a premium on time spent with them. As often as you can, drop what you are doing and go read on request.  You’ll be glad that you did!

Mistake #5: Making Reading a Separate Activity

Reading to your kids is a natural part of the world around us. Don’t make the mistake of keeping it isolated from everyday life. Take trips to the library with your children, and find books they can relate to. Choose books that describe everyday activities or upcoming family events. Find stories that explain something they’ve been wondering about. Use your reading time as learning time.

We want kids to get the idea that reading can unlock mysteries and solve problems.  Help them see the connections between reading and recreation, but also help them connect reading to learning and think of reading as a tool for gaining information.

Learn to Maximize the Time

Make the most of every single time that you read with your kids!  Join us for the upcoming webinar: How to Maximize Your Read-Aloud Time.  This free webinar will give you all sorts of ideas about how to make the most of the time you spend reading to your kids.  The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, August 25 at 1 PM Eastern Time, but don’t worry-if you sign up, there will be a recording so you can listen in any time you wish.  Register today! Just click HERE for more details.