Does reading aloud really make a difference? 
It’s just a book. It’s just a few minutes. (Or maybe a few seconds, if you’re reading to a baby. 
) You’re just a (fill in the blank); you don’t know anything about teaching a child to read.
Is it really making a difference?
Absolutely! The results will not show up for 1-5 years (in other words, not until after a child is developmentally ready to learn to rad around age 6-7 and after he or she starts school). Here’s one reason, though, why you can trust that those minutes of reading aloud are making a difference:
- According to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau data, about half of children under 5 are read to seven or more times a week by a parent or family member.
- Children under age 5 whose families are living below the poverty line were more likely to be read to seven or more times a week in 2009 (45 percent) than in 1998 (37 percent).
Both those statistics are reported by Early Martin Phelan and you can read more here.
Read on!
Babette
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September 20, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Dayle Fraschilla
I’ve been reading aloud to my daughter since she was in utero! She is now almost 7 years old. I 100% believe that reading to her throughout her early childhood has had a positive effect on her reading abilities now. She LOVES books. I still read to her every night before bed . . . though, half the time she stops me and asks me if she can read it instead!
September 21, 2011 at 8:17 am
Babette
How wonderful! What a good parent you’ve been! I find it scary the number of middle and upper class families who are forgoing reading with their kids because they “don’t have time.” It’s like not feeding them. We all need to talk reading aloud up and encourage one another to keep it as a priority.
September 21, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Dayle Fraschilla
“It’s like not feeding them. We all need to talk reading aloud up and encourage one another to keep it as a priority.” I could not agree more!
I used to babysit a little girl. She was about 2 years old. Every night, I would read 5 books to her (books like “Goodnight Moon” or “Guess How Much I Love You”). I was actually told by her mother once that I was spending too much time with her at bedtime because now she was expecting the same routine from her mom.
September 21, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Babette
How incredibly sad!