Read aloud to children: when to start?
Reading aloud to your children is a pleasant practice that brings great benefit to the listener, but also to the reader; one can (and should) start when the child is very small; already in the first few months of life .
At six / eight months it is already possible to read him a short text aloud; at that age children are able to perceive the rhythm and the tone of words, even if they still do not grasp their meaning. Moreover, they are very receptive and can follow the reading, even if for very short periods.
Reading aloud helps calm the child, who recognizes the familiar voice; at the same time, however, the book serves as a stimulus in many respects. Children of 6-8 months are already very attracted to colorful images; you can then start with very short nursery rhymes, to read by holding it in your arms and choosing suitable books, that is, colorful and perhaps made with particular materials: cloth books, sound books, books with puppets inside ... books with very short stories to listen to, books to touch and play with, books to manipulate and - why not - to bring to the mouth, if the materials are the right ones.
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Obviously, then, as the child grows, they can be offered longer nursery rhymes and then stories, from the most classic to the newest; children's publishing is very rich in proposals. Older children can choose books and create, with the help of a parent, their own little home library. Bookstores are a magical place for children (and others) and the purchase of the book can be transformed into a moment of complicity between parents and children.
The books of fairy tales and nursery rhymes ideally should all be kept in a bookcase, at child height and, so, as soon as they are able to do it, it may be the children themselves who come up with what they like to feel light or want to leaf through.
Why read aloud to children?
Children who live in families where they read habitually tend to have richer language, learn to read more easily and usually have less difficulty when they go to school .
Reading aloud to your children helps them develop listening skills ; it is a training for memory, a stimulus for creativity and curiosity, a training ground for understanding and concentration . But it is not only cognitive development that benefits; during reading aloud an intimate moment is created between the child and the adult for the benefit of emotional development . Reading also trains emotions.
Reading aloud we encourage children to read in turn, when they are able to. Teaching your children to read means teaching them to understand reality better . The child capable of understanding a story will have the tools to better understand the world around him.
Reading aloud to children is a habit that can positively influence their lives: it is a pleasure that is worth giving yourself often.
How to read aloud to children: some ideas
Turn the reading into a ritual, perhaps dedicating the same time of day to this activity, for example in the evening, after dinner, before going to bed. Ten minutes is enough; reading time, however, varies greatly according to age; to find the right one, just follow the child's wishes.
Indulge the tastes of children . The little ones like to hear the same story over and over again, that's okay; if you want to propose a new one, wait for the right moment, the one in which the child will seem ready and curious to hear a new adventure.
Avoid distractions (yours). The time of reading aloud must be dedicated only to that; so no television or other disturbing elements.
Read with expression, changing tone and rhythm, trying, in dialogues, to change voice based on the characters. If the child is very small, however, avoid the vocations (for example the voice of the wolf), because it could be frightening.
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