Lauds the benefits of reading aloud to children and provides basic strategies for parents and caregivers to make reading enjoyable for children. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to select books that reflect a child’s own experiences, expose children to books they can touch and involve them in the selection of books, read books that have rhyme, rhythm, or repetition, ask questions about pictures or characters in the book, and have children talk about what they think will happen next in the story. Reading to children creates a bond between child and reader, improves a child’s listening comprehension and attention span, expands vocabulary and information, stimulates imagination and critical-thinking skills, and builds confidence and self-esteem. To promote children’s growth through reading, parents should keep good books and periodicals in the house, make reading part of the daily routine, talk with children throughout the day and tell them stories, limit television viewing, explore the local library with their children, and be readers themselves. Concerned community members also can work to improve children’s reading skills by volunteering to read with a child for 20 to 30 minutes once a week and encouraging local businesses and nonprofit organizations to support community reading programs.
