Improve Time Spent Reading Aloud to Your Child and Build a Stronger Reader

You know the importance of reading to your child, but perhaps you want to increase the impact of read alouds. Despite dutifully reading together daily, you sometimes feel that there might be a little more you can do to enhance the reading. After all, it seems your distracted cherub is more interested in picking at that hole in his jeans or repeatedly asking for a little snack than focusing on the wonderful picture book you have in your lap.

But, alas, short of duct taping your child to a chair and ridding the room of every possible distraction, you wonder if there is anything you can do to making reading aloud a more powerful experience for your child and a more pleasant experience for the both of you. The answer is there is something you can do. This article will detail the simple method of a "picture walk". The picture walk will engage your child in the story and build reading skills.

What is a picture walk?

The picture walk is a pre-reading technique that helps your child develop an understanding of the story and elicits story-related language. It is a brief introduction to the story that looks like it sounds. You open the book and walk through the pictures of the story. It really is that simple. It really does have great benefits.

How will my child benefit from a picture walk?

• It stimulates your child's interest in the story.
• It helps him focus on visual cues in story reading.
• It helps your child connect his personal experiences to the story.
• It provides the basis for a discussion of story-related language and story elements.
• It improves comprehension.
• It builds skills necessary for independent reading.