One of the most valuable pre-reading exercises you can do
with your child is to sit and read with him. Sit him
comfortably on your lap and hold the book in front of both
of you so that he can also look in.
As you read, he will also be scanning the pages in front of
him. Of course, he will not recognize any of the letters,
but he knows that what you are telling comes, somehow, from
the images on those pages.
Also, he will be warm and comfortable, on your lap, held
securely in your arms and, for him, that is a wonderfully
enjoyable experience.
If the book is illustrated, you can point to parts of the
picture and describe how they fit in with the story --
"Look! Here is the house and there is the well where they
got their water and there is the tree with all the delicious
apples growing on it."
As he sits there, enjoying your attention and following your
finger and listening to what you are saying, Little Yossi is
developing many of the visual and auditory skills which are
essential for efficient reading, all in the most enjoyable
environment he could wish for.
Also, if you point to the words as you read them, Yossi
might begin to associate the word-images with the words he
is hearing. And, if he follows your finger with his eyes, he
is training his eyes to focus on the line of print and trace
along a line as he follows your finger.
Soon, Yossi will want to read by himself. He might excitedly
ask you to confirm his guess when he thinks he can recognize
a word by himself. And he will learn to regard reading as a
most enjoyable experience.
Youngsters and even adults can enjoy listening to someone
tell a story.
When a child listens to someone telling a story, it helps
him develop:
Attention span / Listening and concentration skills /
Creativity / Motivation to read and write / Imagination /
Interest in learning / Desire to learn more about the
characters and events / An understanding of human nature /
Understanding of feelings / Understanding of sequence /
Language skills: vocabulary, grammar, syntax and
pronunciation / Ability to follow instructions / An
understanding of concepts / Understanding of "What can be
if..." /
Young children are unclear about the boundaries between
fantasy and reality. Therefore, it is important to make
clear when a story is true or when it is a make-believe
story.
If you are inventing a make-believe story to bring out some
lesson of behavior, use children's names. It helps them
relate to the story [and refer to it again in everyday life.
If you are teaching undesirable negative behavior, make sure
the names do not coincide with children they know!].
Children like to hear stories about you; they are more
likely to believe something that happened to a person they
know.
Have well developed characters. Have a clear image of the
characters. Have many words to describe the character.
Change your voice and tempo to suit the various roles and
situations.
Know the characters well -- the children might ask you
questions about them.
It is best not to memorize a story word for word, as this
will not allow for your own flair. Know the plot and the
dialogue well (like your characters), yet allow the
narrative to flow with your own style. This is what gives a
story the sense of being told.
As you tell your story, take your time, and give ample time
for your listeners to `see' the story; time to laugh, feel
and reflect, time to be excited for what is coming next.
It's easy to go too fast. If you're losing their attention,
you may need to slow down!
Our heritage is rich with stories for every occasion and
season, and even if they have read the story in a book, when
you tell it over, perhaps adding your own insights, it is a
much richer and more enjoyable experience.
