Reading aloud as partners is a variation on your usual read aloud activities that has many benefits for your child.

The Best Read Aloud Partner Books:

• Are printed in over-sized, simple typefaces. Italics, fine-line, and illustrated letters are difficult to read.

• Use some of the words your child is learning.

• Illustrate the characters, objects, and actions described in the text.

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The Adult Read Aloud Partner:

• Lets your child look through the book first.

• Gives your child plenty of time to look at and talk about the illustrations before beginning to read.

• Explains “I’ll point to the words I’m reading. Watch the words so you can help me read.”

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The Benefits of Read Aloud Partners:

• Even the youngest beginning readers learn that when you read, you are saying the words printed on the page.

• Children learn to scan a line of print smoothly from left to right.

• Children who like to memorize words will add new words to their reading vocabularies very easily.

• Children who like to “sound out” letters and words have opportunities to practice and use these skills to find and read new words.

• All children best remember words they find and read themselves, and words they see and read many times.

Three Read Aloud Partner Ideas:

1. Simply run your finger under the words as you read.

2. Stop and let your child read newly learned Matchwords™.

3. Let your child look for and “read” words that come up in your discussion of the illustrations, using the first letter sound as a clue. Guide your child’s eyes along the lines of text with your finger.