Family Matters
How to make reading to a child fun, rewarding

By Lynn Wikoff

For enhancing closeness with your child and fostering a lifelong love of reading, nothing beats snuggling up together with a good book. For both preschoolers and elementary-age kids, being read to enables children to explore distant worlds, consider new ideas, learn more about themselves and just plain have a good time. In addition, being read to allows the uninterrupted time with parents that all children crave. It's no wonder that children who are read to are more successful in school than those who are not.

Yet many parents are uncomfortable about reading to their children. They may be so worried they're not doing it "right" that they don't even try. But reading to children is a skill anyone can learn. To help get you started, or to sharpen your read-aloud skills, try these ABCs of reading to kids.

A: Act it out. To heighten the story's interest, use a different voice for each character. If the story is too populated, focus on the voices of the main character and his nemesis. (Your child isn't any more experienced at this than you are, so he or she won't be critical of your efforts, no matter how amateur.)

When you reach the end of a scene or chapter, make your tone reflect the suspense of not knowing what's coming next — even if you are reading the story for the zillionth time, kids still love the drama. Inject an occasional "oooh" at something scary, an "isn't that nice?" at something good and a giggle when the story is funny.

B: Be sure to involve your child in the story. Getting into the story will make it relevant, and therefore interesting, to your child.

One way to accomplish this is to assign your child a part in the story. For example, picture books often repeat a line throughout that your preschooler can say when you signal it's time. Older children can be the voice of a particular character.

Also, let your child choose some of the stories you read. (Keep in mind that young children often want to hear the same story, told exactly the same way, over and over again.)

C: Create questions. Expand your child's horizons and ability to express himself by posing questions as you read through the story. Aim for open-ended questions—those that can't be answered with a simple yes or no. For example, if a character in the story appears happy or sad or frightened, ask your child how he knows what the character is feeling, or ask how he thinks the child in the story felt when something happened, or simply ask, "Why do you think she did that?" or "Why do you think that happened?" You can also stop at turning points in the story and ask your child what she thinks will happen next and why, to help promote an understanding of cause and effect.

Be sure to let your child have her say without interrupting or correcting her. Remember, this is a lesson in self-expression and self-discovery, not public speaking.

For additional ideas about reading to children, take advantage of the story hours offered by many libraries and bookstores where you can see the pros in action, and talk to children's librarians for sure-to-please book recommendations. Or consult the best-known book on the subject, Jim Trelease's "The Read-Aloud Handbook," now in its fifth edition (Penguin Books, $15), which is packed with information, including 1,200 recommendations for great "read-aloud" books.

Lynne Wikoff is a Honolulu-based free-lance writer who holds a master's degree in social work with an emphasis on child development. She has raised a daughter, now in her mid-20s, and a stepson, now 40, and she hangs out regularly with her twin 10-year-old stepgrandchildren.

Wikoff and fellow Hawai'i parent Ka'ohua Lucas take turns writing the Family Matters column. If you have comments, questions or suggestions for future topics, write: Family Matters, 'Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 535-8170.