The advice is to read to your child every day. To draw more attention to this, the National Reading Days are held every year. Why is reading aloud so important? How often should you read aloud? From what age is it good to read aloud? Until what age should you continue reading aloud? What should you pay attention to when reading and why is there the ‘Fathers for Reading’ campaign?
The importance of reading aloud
The foundation for reading and reading pleasure is laid in the first years of life. On www.lezen.nl you can read that children who have been read to from an early age are motivated to learn to read, they appear to have more language skills, they understand texts better and are more successful at school than children who have had little or no reading. read aloud. This is partly because children who are read to become more interested in stories, songs and rhymes. There is a snowball effect in the field of language.
Read together
When you read a book together, you do a lot.
- It’s a pleasant moment
- It is a stimulating experience
- It’s a different reality
- It stimulates language development
- It teaches a child to put events into words
- It teaches a child to pay attention to details
- It can help a child understand the world (for example when moving)
- It is a moment of rest
- It stimulates the imagination
- It arouses children’s interest in books
- It helps children learn to concentrate
From what age do you read aloud?
It is good to introduce children to books from a very young age. Look at pictures together and name them. Feeling books, flap books and picture books are very suitable for babies. A 6-month-old baby does not yet distinguish between a book and a toy and wants to discover them in his own way. By feeling, sucking, throwing it and so on. At about 10 months, a baby discovers how it works. He looks more focused and turns pages. Sometimes several at the same time, but that doesn’t matter. It’s about discovering and working on a book together. From the age of two, children are ready for real little stories that are recognizable. The pictures should clearly show what is happening. From the age of three, a book can serve as a mirror for one’s own feelings or thoughts.
Until what age should you read aloud?
There is no guideline for that. However, it is important to continue reading aloud as the child learns to read on his own. The books that the child initially reads will have a much simpler story structure than the books that are read aloud. It is also good for a child to regularly hear a correct reading pace. In addition, children are often so concerned with letter recognition and achieving a certain speed in reading (technical reading) that they often have no idea what they are reading (reading comprehension). When reading aloud, they can concentrate on the content again. But the fun you have while reading aloud is also a good reason to continue reading aloud, even if a child has already been able to read by himself for a long time.
What should you think about when reading aloud?
- One of the most important things when reading aloud is to convey the pleasure of reading
- Make sure that your child/children can see the pictures/photos/drawings clearly
- take your time
- Address the comments your children make
- Talk calmly
- Ask questions
- Stay yourself (so don’t make funny voices if it doesn’t feel comfortable)
The National Reading Days 2016
The National Reading Days 2016 were from January 27 to February 6, 2016. The days were created by the Reading Foundation to encourage reading to children who cannot yet read themselves. The National Reading Days start with the National Reading Breakfast in which many schools, libraries and childcare organizations participate.
During the National Reading Days, a picture book of the year is always chosen. For 2016 this was We have added a goat by Marjet Huiberts and illustrated by Iris Deppe.
In addition, the following picture books received extra attention during these days;
- Stuck the crayons – Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers (De Fontein)
- The crocodile who didn’t like water – Gemma Merino (Lemniscaat)
- The Lion and the Bird – Marianne Dubuc (Querido)
- Feast for the King – Marlies Verhelst and Linde Faas (Lemniscaat)
- Won – Ruth Wielockx (Clavis)
- Gonnie & friends at a goose pace – Olivier Dunrea (Gottmer)
- The Hedgehog’s Egg – Nozomi Takahashi (The Unicorn)
- Snow White knits a monster – Annemarie van Haeringen (Leopold)
- Forget me not – Milja Praagman (De Eenhoorn)
The Fathers For Reading campaign
The Fathers for Reading team was founded to promote reading aloud. This team will work for two years to encourage men to read more themselves and to read more to their (grand)children. Gerlien van Dalen (director of the Reading Foundation) says that ‘a paternal reading example is also important. Fathers also add something to reading education: fathers and mothers have different language use and different reading styles. Fifteen minutes of reading aloud a day is a valuable moment between father and child and strengthens their bond.
The Fathers For Reading team
The Fathers For Reading team consists of the following men:
- Thomas Berge
- Leo Blokhuis
- Job Cohen
- Eric Corton
- Beau van Erven Dorens
- Dennis van der Geest
- Ronald Giphart
- Ruben Nicolai
- Bastian’s Ragas
- Jeffrey Spalburg
- Bram van der Vlugt
read more
- Explanation of learning to read (safely) and the AVI levels
- How can you ensure that children read (more)?
- The language development of young children
- The children’s book week 2018