Reading At Home

How to Read with Your Child

Children benefit from reading with adults at every age!

For babies and young children, you can read books to them every day. You can also let them explore books by playing with them. Turning the pages and looking at pictures helps children start to learn about reading.

As children grow, they need help to start recognizing letters, sounding out words, becoming fluent readers, and understanding what they read. Set aside time to listen to your child read, ask them questions, and talk about the story. You can also support your child’s reading development by reading to them and letting them listen to audiobooks or videos of stories being read aloud.

What if My Family Speaks a Language Other Than English?

You should read to your child in any language you are comfortable with. Reading to your child in your home language will help them with reading. Research shows that children who are read to in their home language have an easier time learning to read in English.

Tips for Reading With Young Children

1. Let Your Child Choose

Even if they choose the same book over and over again! The repetition helps. Ask your child different questions about the story, or let them guess what will happen next.

2. Show and Tell

Point to the words as you read, showing how we read left to right. This will help your child understand that your spoken words are connected to the printed words on the page.

3. Be Flexible

It’s okay if you don’t read the pages in order, or if your child wants to stop before the book is finished. Follow their lead.

4. Moving Is Okay

Don’t worry if your child doesn’t want to sit still. They are still benefiting from hearing you read. Try reading books that let them interact with the story, like acting out what the characters are doing or lifting flaps.

5. Have Fun!

Have some fun with reading! Use voices, expression, or movement to bring stories to life. Try doing what a character is doing, like reading in a whisper when a character is whispering.