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Broadway, Here I Come!
Reading Aloud to Entertain Young Children
by Dr. Kathy Siepak
Reading to babies, toddlers and young children before they know how to read is
very important. In fact, research documents that reading aloud to children is
the single most important factor in helping them learn how to read. Sharing
time together, cuddling close and talking about pictures and stories teaches
children, even babies, that reading is a fun and worthwhile activity.
Any reading—or even just talking about the pictures if parents don’t read
well—is good for children. Reading can be even more fun when parents use
funny voices, excitement and suspense. It’s not hard to do, really! Step out
there “on the stage” with your own children, and soon you’ll have their friends
clambering to listen, too. Reading with expression is the best way to get
children hooked on reading.
Read stories that you enjoy, stories that you LOVE! Not all stories make good
read-alouds, but you can spice them up with sound effects and audience
participation. As you read a story over and over, you can add more expression.
But don’t go overboard! Sing-song voices are actually just as boring as
monotonous voices. The key is to enjoy the story yourself!
A good read-aloud story might have:
 Rhythmic language, with or without rhyming
 Interesting word play
 Silliness
 Only a few characters
 Sound effects
 Audience participation
 Suspense
 Beautiful language
 Language that brings to mind interesting images
 An exciting or surprising event
 Characters with distinctive voices
Acting Tips for Reading Aloud
You don’t have to be a Broadway actor to read aloud to young children.
Children love any bit of entertainment, as long as it’s enthusiastic. When you
read aloud, children’s writer Mem Fox recommends that you use your eyes and
face to express the emotion of the story. Wide eyes during a surprising event
excite the children listening. Squinting at a sneaky part of the story or smiling
warmly at a gentle character tells listeners how the characters are feeling,
which helps them understand the story. I suggest that you extend the
expression in your face and eyes to your whole body. For example, during a
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sleepy part of the story, you would yawn and stretch. To show a powerful
character you would sit up and puff out your chest very large. Reading a warm
and sensitive part of the story, you would invite cuddles and hugs from your
listeners. Remember that young children not only look at the words and
pictures on the page; they also watch YOU.
Mem Fox, who has written Koala Lou, Possum Magic and many more books for
children, tells us that the beginning of a story is very important. Take your
time with it. It’s like the curtain rising on the stage, revealing the set and the
main characters with a delicious anticipation. The beginnings of Ms. Fox’s
stories and other good read-alouds make the reader instantly curious about
what is going to happen. Looking up at your listeners briefly as you begin the
story draws them in to the wonderful tale that will unfold. The ending of a story
is very important, too. End with a flourish of satisfaction that “now you know
what happened” in the story, as the curtain falls.
In between the beginning and the end, characters come and go across the
“stage” of the story, getting into terrible, delightful, puzzling situations. Using
different voices for different characters helps listeners follow the story,
especially very young children. Character voices don’t need to be complex, just
use a high, squeaky voice for small or young characters and a big, low voice for
large or older characters. This is why you want to choose books that have only
two or three characters.
One more acting secret: Contrasts make your reading expressive. When you are
reading ordinary information in the story, keep your voice normal. Then when
you come to an event, change the tone to reflect what’s happening. For
example, you might slow down, speaking one word at a time, as the tiger
approaches. Then rush your words as the tiger pounces and begins the chase.
Maybe there is a part of the story that should be whispered before you burst
into a loud, “Bang!” Frantic, silly parts of the story stand out if they are read
with a high pitch or a goofy voice. And certainly, you should sing parts of the
story, such as a chant or lullaby, if the author suggests it—even if you don’t
read music or even sing very well. Children do not care how your voice sounds
or if the tune is correct. They just love the song and may sing it to themselves
when reading the book on their own. And don’t forget: There’s nothing like…a
good…pause…to build antici…pation!
Reading Aloud When You’re Not Good At Reading
You don’t have to feel put on the spot if your reading skills are a little rusty. It’s
okay if you make a mistake while you are reading. It’s a chance to show
children what to do when they come across an unknown word:
1. Stop.
2. Say, “Wait, that didn’t make sense!” or “Yikes! I don’t know this word.”
3. Model how to sound it out, then how to use context clues to figure out
the meaning.
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4. Start over at an appropriate place so that you can capture the meaning.
5. Notice that the emphasis is on understanding the sentence, not
pronouncing the words. If you have to, substitute a different word that
means the same as the unfamiliar word.
6. Go on with the story and enjoy!
If you are not a good reader, here is encouragement: Infant and toddler books
usually have just a few words or a short sentence on a page, so start reading
right when your baby is born. Your reading skills will improve with practice as
your baby grows up. Good children’s books are written in clear language and
simple sentences, so they are great practice for getting better at reading. You
might even gain the confidence to take an adult literacy class. Often, parents
with reading difficulties have children who are at risk of developing reading
difficulties. So it is vitally important to read to your baby, toddler and young
child to give him or her the best start possible. Making up your own story as
you look at the pictures is perfectly okay, too! Children love improvisation.
How to Make Time for Reading
Reading aloud to children—even babies and toddlers—is just as important as
teaching them the ABC’s. In fact, it teaches them WHY they want to learn to
read: to have fun! The more often you turn off the TV or put your smart phone
in your pocket, the more time there is for reading. In fact, The American
Academy of Pediatrics discourages television for children under the age of 2
years old and recommends that parents limit older children to 1 – 2 hours of
“screen time” per day. Computer games, smart phones, portable video viewers,
etc., all count as “screen time.” The time limit on television for young children
also includes time that the TV is on for parents’ programs, even if the child is
not watching. Record your favorite shows and sports events to watch after your
children have gone to bed.
So, to make time for reading, turn off the TV. Put a basket or bin of books on
the floor wherever the family spends a lot of time, such as in the family room,
in children’s bedrooms, even in a corner of the kitchen. When children have
books that are easy to reach, they can ask parents to read to them—or they
can “read” to themselves—whenever children need a change of activity. As they
grow older, they will be less likely to turn on the TV when they are bored and
more likely to read, play games or do arts and crafts. Children who watch large
amounts of television often develop reading difficulties in the primary grades.
There are many times throughout the day when reading is a good activity.
When children are ready for school or child care in the morning, they can read
while waiting for Mom and Dad to get ready. Car rides, long and short, are
perfect reading opportunities. (Who needs the DVD player in the back seat
when you have Dr. Seuss?!) Whenever you go to an appointment, you should
help your child pack a small bag with 2 – 4 books. Then while you wait for the
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bus or the doctor, you can read together. Of course, bedtime is a good time to
read, too!
Benefits of Reading Aloud to Young Children
In addition to the sheer enjoyment of sharing time with parents, children
benefit from listening to stories in many ways. They expand their vocabulary,
both listening to words and speaking new words. They learn how books work,
that is, opening the book to the left, turning pages, reading from left to right
and from the top of the page to the bottom. They develop “story sense,” the
ability to identify the beginning, middle and end of a story and how narration
explains what happens and how characters speak. All of these skills are
necessary to the task of learning how to read. So, get out a book, sit on the
sofa, and put on your Broadway voice! Reading to children is fun!
Read-Aloud Suggestions for Young Readers:
Hats, Hats, Hats
Mouse Paint
Little Bear
Are You My Mother?
Freight Train
Who is the Beast?
Sleepy Dog
Across the Stream
Mouse Count
Dinosaur’s Binket
Gentle Stories
Guess How Much I Love You
Love You Forever
Goodnight Moon
Where Does the Brown Bear Go?
Other good stories:
Hist Whist
The Day the Teacher Went Bananas
The Four Scary Stories
Possum Magic (by Mem Fox)
Curious George
Harry and the Terrible Whatzit
Abiyoyo
Caps for Sale
Funnybones
The Cow that Went Oink
Sam and the Firefly
Skateboard Monsters
Tough Boris (by Mem Fox)
Pollita Chiquita
Georgie
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Don’t Wake Up Mama!
Lucky’s Choice
Jamberry
Stellaluna
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
The Most Wonderful Egg in the World
Read aloud chapter books for younger elementary:
James and the Giant Peach
Charlotte’s Web
A Wrinkle in Time
Coyote Stories
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Once Upon a Curse
Fairest
Read aloud chapter books for older elementary students:
The Hobbit
The Princess Bride
Sea of Trolls
Percy Jackson series (e.g., The Lightning Thief)
The BFG
Books that were made into movies, especially recently. But NOT PG-13’s!
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