Bonding through books

There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.

- Jacqueline Kennedy

Reading aloud to your child is the most important boost you can provide to him to develop love for books. It is also a magical way to create a strong and nurturing bond with your child and it is priceless.

Pearls of wisdom from Roald Dahl books

Roald Dahl has been adorned by reader of all ages around the world. His wide range of books has taken us into the world of chocolates, friendly giants, witches, talking animals and beyond with his immortal characters like Willy Wonka, BFG, Matilda, Charlie Bucket, Mr. Fox and more.

Roald Dahl books are filled with creative imagination, humour, adventure and words of wisdom for all ages. His books remind us of the importance of reading, importance of patience, doing our best, being good to others and most importantly to not take life too seriously.

He was an avid reader himself and dedicated to writing captivating book for young readers. He had always wanted children to discover joy of books.

Here are some of the most insightful quotes from Roald Dahl books.

Reading games to make reading fun for all!

Children learn best when they are doing something which has real purpose, which is engaging and which they like to do. So, playing games is the best way to sneak in reading and learning skills while having lots of fun.

Reading games can help practice skills like phonics, new vocabulary, creative thinking and writing, memory skills, listening skills and so much more.

So, lighten up your reading aloud by having some fun with reading games. There are games and activities that can be made up at home and many available to purchase and start playing right away!

Reading aloud Indian authors

While authors from across the globe have written fantastic books for children which are a must read, it is important to include books by authors in India who have written extraordinary stories to spark a child’s imagination, provide reading pleasure and a strong bond with the characters.

Reading aloud to toddlers - why, when and how?

Little Anaya was playing joyfully with her doll house. She takes a break, reaches to the book basket, pulls out her favourite book and takes it to her mom. Her mom reads it to her from where they had left the last time. It is a picture book and Anaya loves to point out at different fruits with her mom. They read a few pages together. Soon, Anaya runs off to a new toy she notices round the corner. Her mom closes the book and puts it back in the basket. This is how long read aloud time can be with toddlers!

But, this few minutes of reading is just right for them and will go a long way in creating life long book lovers!

Tips and tricks to make read aloud interesting and interactive

Hey ya! I am excited that so many of you have made a fantastic effort to read aloud to your children every day. Moving on with our endeavor, I am putting down few tips and tricks to make reading aloud interesting and interactive.

            Be a storyteller! When you read, add life to the characters by creating great character voices. Doing this is simple. Focus on the main characters and see what makes these characters special. Look for personalities like loving, thoughtful, witty, happy, sad, funny, sarcastic, brave, cowardly, nervous, confident, demanding, rude, calm, dangerous, proud, humble, naughty, curious etc. etc.

Now, use the basic tools of pitch, volume, pacing and attitude to create character voice. For example, a higher pitch for a brave boy, a lower pitch for a humble boy. Louder voice for a demanding character and a softer voice for sad or nervous character

Speed up a bit to show excitement or slow down to show calm character.  Another great tool is attitude. You can tell if somebody is happy or sad or angry or curious when you read with the right attitude.

            More importantly, read with expression. Read at a pace that is not too fast or too slow. Stop at appropriate intervals to allow the child to look at the illustrations and reflect upon the story.

Let us read aloud ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’

Hey ya! In this post let us talk about the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This book written by L.Frank Baum was published in the year 1900. The book had sold 3 million copies by year 1956! It is an absolute must read aloud book for children of all ages.

This summer holidays, Let Us Read Aloud!

School is over and kids have ample time at hand. This is the best time to build a read aloud culture in our home. Studies show children who read and are read aloud during school summer holidays do far better academically than the rest. It helps them to build up on the progress they have made during the school year. Summer time reading can be both fun and beneficial. All we need is to think of creative ways of making 10 minutes read aloud time the most essential part of summer holiday activities. Here are a few ideas from my side-

Reading aloud 10 minutes every day!

Reading aloud to children is very important and equally important is reading to them every day. Schedule 10 minutes of reading time for every day. Below are a few simple and easy to follow tips to help you.

Book Review: Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh, by author A. A. Milne was the first book I read aloud to my children and it remains one of our most loved books till date.

Winnie-the-Pooh is a classic 1926 children's book, in which Winnie-the-Pooh, a bear lives in the Hundred Acre Wood with his friends Tiger, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl and Christopher Robin. It is a collection of short stories about day to day adventures of Pooh and his friends. The wisdom depicted in their funny and silly adventures has delighted the hearts of millions over decades.

This book is a pleasure to read at any age and a wonderful place to start your journey of reading aloud. The younger ones will enjoy it for their beloved character Pooh and the elder ones for the humor in it.

While Disney has made Winnie the Pooh popular, the original books of A. A. Milne are a treasure and some of the cleverest and wittiest literature ever written for children.

Winnie-the-Pooh is available on amazon.in
(The above product link is an affiliate link.)

Welcome to Let Us Read Aloud blog!

This blog aims at encouraging families to read aloud books with their children.

According to UNESCO, the biggest single indicator of whether a child is going to thrive at school and in work is whether or not they read for pleasure.

And experts recommend taking a step ahead and reading aloud to children. It is the number one most important activity parents can do with their children to develop love for books, to build correct and powerful vocabulary, to improve comprehension skill, creativity and a sophisticated use of language.

Reading aloud gives children an opportunity to listen to and appreciate books beyond their reading ability. It gives them a chance to explore genres and texts they wouldn’t normally select. Kids who are read to, have superior vocabulary, they write well, and do well overall in school.

Reading aloud with children for 10 minutes a day can make a remarkable difference to their accomplishments.

With this blog, we want to provide you with resources, guides and inspiration to read aloud to your children.

So come, let us build a culture of reading and reading aloud!