Read Aloud Tips to Promote Literacy & Language

I recently talked about how to create a book nook to encourage little ones to spend time reading, independently and with an adult. 

Reading aloud to your child is one of the most important things you can do to encourage language development and success with early literacy. Any time spent reading together is valuable. And there are certain things you can do to give that reading aloud a learning boost. 

Point to the words as you read them: Moving your finger from left to right introduces basic text concepts. 
Point to pictures as you talk about them: This helps associate words with objects. 
Describe what you see: The more detail the better, those little listeners are soaking in those words like sponges. 
Encourage predicting: Say things like, "I wonder what will happen next." or "Let's see what's on the next page." Predicting plot is a crucial component of early literacy success. 
Let them fill-in: As children become more verbal, stop at the ends of sentences they've heard over and over. They'll fill in the rest. 
Encourage them to read to you: Even early talkers will enjoy "reading" you the story from memory if they're encouraged to do so. Books like You Read to Me, I'll Read to You are great for older readers to share the experience. 

There are other books that I especially love for interactive read-together time: 
The "Don't Let the Pigeon" series

These silly books have the author talking directly to the reader and help us think about what's reasonable and what's not. A pigeon? Driving a bus?

The Monster at the End of this Book

This is also a "talk directly to the reader" book that's always a big hit. Grover begs us not to turn the pages...there is a monster at the end of the book...

Millie Moo

Millie Moo searches for her farm friends and finds some crazy characters along the way. This touch and feel books is great for predicting skills. 

As I said, any reading time is valuable. And all readers young and old have their own style. Enjoy your time together finding your favorite books and what works for you.