Research tells us that reading aloud to young children is one of the most important keys when learning to read later. In fact, it is the single most important activity for building knowledge required for their success in reading. Why is that?

Jim Trelease, in his Read Aloud Handbook, tells us that we read to children for the same reasons we talk to them: to reassure them, to inform or explain, to arouse curiosity, to bond, inspire, and finally to share joy. But reading aloud to a young child does this and much more.

There are basically six pre-reading skills that must be in place to ensure later reading success. When you read aloud to your child, you are teaching your child the following:

- Phonological awareness when you play with sounds
- Print awareness when you notice print and how books work
- Print motivation when you enjoy reading together
- Vocabulary when you know the names of things
- Letter knowledge when you know about shapes and the alphabet
- Narrative skills when you tell a story and tell “what comes next”

Science tells us that 85% of brain development takes place by age three. That is a small window of opportunity in which to lay a foundation for becoming a life-long reader.

(Image provided by Buncombe County)

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