Why (still) read aloud?

A truth I thought we all knew by now: sharing books with children by reading them aloud is one of the most effective ways to help children develop a love of reading. (And, being an avid reader is, y'know, not just good for kids but good for our whole society.) In the past two weeks, I have read two different pieces  that address children and reading: How to Raise Boys Who Read by Thomas Spence and How to Accelerate a Reader by Donalyn Miller. What I found quite surprising is that neither piece mentioned reading aloud to children as a way to help children develop into readers/improve their reading. (Where are you, Jim Trelease?!?) If writing about how to raise readers or accelerate readers, it seems one should include the recommendation to regularly, meaningfully, read aloud to those readers you are attempting to raise/accelerate. In the current climate of Extreme Testing and literacy, literacy, literacy, people are not prioritizing one of the easiest ways to turn kids on to reading. I wish these recent articles, full of other excellent points, had made the case for reading aloud.

So, after that little diatribe, it might surprise you to learn that "reading aloud to children so that they develop a love of reading/accelerate their reading" isn't even the point of this post.

While I think there is a real danger in mistaking “can read on his/her own” for “has developed a love of reading,” that is not the driving reason behind the fact that I read aloud to my children every night. To speak particularly of Max, my nine year old... he can read (and enjoys to) on his own now. Why then do I continue to read aloud to him? I have had a draft of this post going since, I kid you not, February. But it took several recent conversations in which I found myself justifying why I still read aloud to my oldest child (even though he can read to himself and likes it) to get me to finish it. Well, those conversations AND the frustration over the aforementioned articles leaving out the recommendation to read aloud.

A new development in our family: if you want to start everyone laughing, dreamily utter the word "Jupiter" at any random moment. Seriously. It has been the source of MUCH amusement. "Jupiter" has even derailed at least one Lego dispute-related meltdown.  If you read one of our last posts, you'll know that "Jupiter" is from our recent read-aloud, Elizabeth Enright's GONE-AWAY LAKE. I think it would only be slightly hyperbolic to say that our lives are richer because of "Jupiter." Sharing little inside jokes like this is just one of the many ways that reading aloud together makes our lives richer.

Reading aloud together…

…provides at least one point during even the crazy-busiest of days that we are snuggling our children, sharing a meaningful experience.  It's intimate... and in this age of Wii, DS and other electronic distractions, as well as soccer practice and playdates, "intimate" doesn't happen often enough. And it isn’t just me trying to get my child’s attention away from DS or tv. My children like to have my undivided attention just as much as I like to have theirs. 

…can be a springboard for important conversations. For example, TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING by Judy Blume had Max and I talking, on the surface, about Peter's frustrations with having a baby brother. But we were also talking about Max's frustrations with HIS little brothers... in a "safe" way.

...can be edifying. When we read together, my guys frequently stop me to discuss an unfamiliar word or a confusing/interesting topic. For instance, when reading the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, we had many conversations about Native Americans and the awful way they were treated and thought about by many people (yeah, I'm talking to you, Ma).

...usually makes the guys sleepy, which, before bed, is always a good thing. (Okay, so maybe you're thinking, "How does THAT make your family's life richer?" I suppose I could argue that the kids falling to sleep easier lets them get more sleep which makes them less cranky which makes me not get annoyed and cranky back at them which makes our lives richer... but I'm willing to admit that maybe them falling to sleep easier just makes my life richer because I have more time in my evening to spend with my husband/read/watch FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and GLEE/fold laundry/knit/computer.)

...gives us something pleasant to share and talk about, even if we've had a night of squabbling and butting heads. It guarantees that none of us end the day thinking about our latest argument over leaving dirty clothes all over the house instead of, for crying out loud, putting them into one of the twenty hampers I've strategically placed throughout the house... Wait. What was I saying? Oh, right, reading together goes a long way in repairing any daily frustrations between us before settling in to bed for the night.

…provides a foundation, in a deep way, for shared experiences and communication. I know this kind of encapsulates some of the reasons I listed above, but it bears repeating. I know my kids and I have a lot of shared experiences, now, without reading aloud together. (Although, it seems, daily, they become interested in something Pokemon/Bakugan/etc. that couldn't be considered a "shared experience.") I’m thinking ahead to the future. By having an established, beloved tradition of reading together, I'm hoping that when it becomes even harder for us to talk about important things together (see: most any teenager that isn't Rory Gilmore), reading will be a valuable common ground… whether we’re on our 100th reread of the Harry Potter series, or if we’re reading something like SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson or THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. We'll have something to share and talk about even if we can't see eye to eye on anything else. 

...is the best way to have them experience a story they might not ever pick up on their own (movies do NOT count!!!). Books that might seem a little old-fashioned but that have richness, depth, wit. Also, be it right or wrong, boys are not as likely, on their own, to pick up a book about a female protagonist as girls are to select books with male protagonists. That means that my boys wouldn't read most of what I consider to be Very Excellent literature?? I couldn't accept that; I just simply want certain books, like I want certain people, to be in my children's lives.

Also? Sharing books with my children is good for my parental self-esteem. Every time one of my children quotes/makes reference to/uses a particular word from one of our read alouds, it gives us both that inside joke thrill, sure, but it also gives me a different kind of good feeling... like no matter what parenting mistakes I may make, at least I'm giving them this positive thing, this wonderful gift of loving literature.

Wow. Was that last line too cheesy? Sorry. 

To be continued...  What to read aloud?


Note: Although reading aloud was not mentioned in the Donalyn Miller article mentioned above, she is obviously a proponent of reading aloud. Please read her article on reading aloud in the classroom.