Reading aloud to children.

     Today I want to talk about an issue that is of particular importance to me.  I believe that one of the most important things parents can do for their children is to read aloud to them.  Not just when they are toddlers, but up through their teenage years.  Thankfully I discovered and cultivated this habit when my older children were young and realized the power of it.  Recently though, with the extra work of my studies and the decline of my husbands health, I realized I had not read a full book to my children in more than a year.  Out came our giant compilation of the Narnia books and we have once again discovered the joy of reading aloud.
     In the book Classics to Read Aloud to Your Children by William F. Russell, the author opens the book with this sentence; "Reading to your children may be the single, most powerful contribution that you, as a parent, can make toward their success in school." (Russell, 3)  I agree with Russell and would go one step further in that it contributes not only to scholastic success, but to success in life in general.  Being read to from an early age helps children to have a good command of the language which lends to success in academics.  The greater comprehension of words will assist in every subject, even math (word problems!). Russell went on to say "It is only when children enjoy reading...that they pursue their studies with vigor." (Russell, 3)  As I mentioned, I have made a habit of reading to my children, almost daily, for most of their childhoods, and all of my children are good students. 
     Reading aloud to children helps to instill the habit and desire to read themselves. Aristotle said " Good habits formed at youth make all the difference."

            "Studies have shown that the one common factor found in all the children who learned to read without being formally taught how was not high I.Q., not high family income, not parents who had college degrees, the one factor was that all these children were read to by their parents regularly, frequently, and from whatever materials happened to be at hand-newspapers, road signs, even packing labels." (Russell, 4)

      I had an experience with this with my oldest child, now 18.  Christen was 4 when I realized she could read AND write.  I was dealing with the proprietor of an art gallery on the sale of some of my husbands furniture and I had my daughter coloring on a nearby table.  She asked how to spell "I love you mom" so I rattled it off rapid fire.  A few minutes later she asked how to spell "this is a dog" and again I rattled it off, believing she was pretending to write.  When my dealings with the gallery owner were concluded and I went to collect my child, she handed me a drawing with those words scrawled across the paper.  She had been asking to learn to read for almost a year, but I had been putting her off because I was busy with home schooling my step children and starting our furniture business, but through her attendance while I was teaching the older kids and our nightly reading, she taught herself.  I learned a lot of powerful lessons that day!

     Exposure to the great stories of literature will ignite in children the joy of finding adventure between the pages of a book.  This is especially important in this day of children being flooded by electronic media/entertainment.  My children have held their breath during the battle of Narnia, cried when Jack the bulldog dies, and laughed at the antics of Meg, Amy, Beth, and Jo.  We spent a year with Miss Agness, hooted over the antics of Henry Huggins, and cried for mercy with tears streaming down our faces while reading any book by Patrick McManus.  We also have delved into non-fiction, reading about war torn Liberia in "Where the Children Cry", and learning about founding fathers through some well written biographies.  We also read poems from the great poets like Frost, Browning, Barret, Guest, and Silverstein.  These shared experiences have tied strings of fellowship and friendship in our family. 

   The practice of reading out loud will replicate itself.  Over the years I have seen my girls take turns reading out loud to one another while the others do the dishes.  They also read in the evenings to their brothers, Harry Potter and the Little House series being the most recent.  I have also heard my older boys, 9 and 7, reading to their little brother (5).  I feel gratified that this practice will continue on to the next generation.  I have repeatedly said to my children, "Readers are leaders" and I hope my children step up and be leaders in the next generation, and I hope that their experiences reading will influence the way they lead. 

    Here is a picture of Aaron, my 9 year old, reading while I was writing this blog.

 This is a candid shot but I do have to add a small disclaimer, in my house I have begun trading reading time for time playing the Wii.  I have an aversion to video games but finally gave in and bought a wii, and in order to offset my guilt about the gaming I have tried to use it to bribe them to read more.  So he is not entirely reading of his own volition, but to earn time to play tonight, the choice of title and subject are his alone.  This one is an encyclopedia on history and science I picked up at B&N on the clearance table.

    I hope this blog has inspired you to read aloud to children, not just in their preschool years but throughout their childhood.  It is a gratifying experience and good for everyone.

Suggested books to get you started:
Classics to Read Aloud to Your Children by William F. Russell
The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary (actually ANYTHING by this author)
The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott ( the movie adaptation is a good follow up)
The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis
For young children the Poetry of Shel Silverstien is a must read!

***When looking for good books the Newberry Award winners are a great place to start.