Reading a story to your children can be intimidating...

For all of us, reading out loud is not part of our day-to-day life. Unless you are a professional Storyteller. So, reading a story to your children can be somewhat intimidating. But do not let this set you away from your kids. They will enjoy this moment a lot, and they will never criticize your reading speed or agility. It will be a great event for the family.

You should start reading to your children from the earliest months. Hug them close and read a story with sound effects, talk about the colours and play nursery rhymes. This shows your little ones how incredible books are, how their content is so fun, exciting and energising.

Start reading with your kids anytime you want, cuddling them in your arms and exploring stories in softbooks. For infants, reading is like play, so a book will be their toy at that moment.

Once your baby sits up, choose light but strong books with rounded corners and bright pictures. Coming from six months, children love lift-the-flap books. From nine months, it's time to introduce noise books. Explore the illustrations as well as the words. If your baby point at a picture, say the words to help to build vocabulary.

End up being relaxed about just what books mean to an infant. Even if you spend some minutes playing with your children using a book, we can say this is part of the reading process.

Take the characters to life...

Talk about the drawings, the situations, and the characters, so the story starts to come alive. Don’t be afraid to try to become a storyteller, with different voices and performance acts. Your kids will enjoy it and like the story much more.

Try to bring your best faces, exaggerating your normal expression like the actor Jim Carrey. Your kids will have fun with it.

Stress repeated words and phrases ("it was a looong journey", "free... free... freezing", "a big, big, big spaceship"). Along these lines, your kid begins to get familiar with the language used in books. Provoke your kids to say the words with you.

Don't forget to switch the TV off and focus attention to enjoy the book. Try ebooks, videos and audiobooks that children can watch or listen anywhere on smartphones, tablets and sound systems. This is an extraordinary method to construct a kid's comprehension of stories, improve their listening and take advantage of the new technologies for their learning.

But how long for, and how often should you read to your children? For younger kids this might be quick amounts of time. You can increase this time as they get older. Regarding how often, there are no timeframe, but a routine helps to make it a habit.

For school-age kids, a bedtime story can end up being a nice time for you both, as you can spend a moment together after a busy day. For pre-school children, reading during the day might be a smart thought. However, it depends how long your kids will listen to you.

Read more... "Tips for reading with your child" - Booktrust

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