About Us

Read Aloud, Lagos! a Lagos State Ministry of Education Initiative that focuses on encouraging children and their families to read aloud every day for 20 minutes so they can develop into lifetime readers.Reading Aloud is one of the most important things parents can do with their children. Reading aloud builds many important foundational skills, introduces vocabulary, provides a model of fluent, expressive reading, and helps children recognize what reading for pleasure is all about.

The government also want to use the initiative as an instructional practice where teachers and caregivers read texts aloud to children. The reader incorporates variations in pitch, tone, pace, volume, pauses, eye contact, questions and comments to produce a fluent and enjoyable delivery

a

Importance of reading aloud with children

Develops stronger vocabulary. Children acquire language primarily through listening. Reading aloud lets children regularly hear new words in new contexts, which builds their vocabulary and helps them develop a stronger awareness of the communicative possibilities of language.
Builds connections between the spoken and written word. When children hear words read aloud, they begin seeing how printed words are closely connected to spoken words. This helps them recognize the difference between the arrangement of spoken language and printed text.
Provides enjoyment. Children generally enjoy being read to, which encourages them to see and experience reading as something fun and positive. Reading aloud makes them more likely to become interested in learning to read, which is likely to then spark a lifelong love of reading.
Increases attention span. Unlike watching television, reading or being read to promotes a slower unfolding of events and ideas. This encourages children to listen, pay attention and concentrate, which after a while can increase their overall attention span.
Strengthens cognition. A well written book exposes children to sophisticated language, which can strengthen their cognitive abilities. When children are regularly exposed to the sophisticated language of quality literature, they learn how to apply their cognitive abilities to understand the text.
Provides a safe way of exploring strong emotions. Reading a story aloud that explores particularemotions helps some children to accept their own feelings and understand how others feel. By reading aloud together, stories can help children feel more comfortable discussing their emotions with others.
Promotes bonding. Reading aloud with children provides benefits for adults too. The quality time spent together promotes bonding and strengthens relationships, making it easier for children to develop their social, communication and interpersonal skills.

b

Why should kids read aloud too?

Read aloud helps children connect the written word with speech, makes the experience of reading and storytelling enjoyable and is proved to help develop concentration skills.
It helps in developing an enjoyment of stories and literature also exposes children to different experiences they may not otherwise have
Reading aloud is not just for confident readers either, it has been proven to significantly help struggling readers too. By rehearsing to read aloud and reading aloud regularly, the repeated practice begins to improve their accuracy and word recognition.
In hearing books read expressively, they will learn to imitate this and see a connection between the written word and creating a performance in the story being told. It also brings the story to life, helping them understand the narrative.

Why not extend this? Ask your child to read the back of the cereal box as you are making breakfast in the morning. Give them the shopping list and ask them to read it to you as you go round the market or supermarket. Have them read a film review from the TV guide.

Short snippets of reading out loud on a regular basis can make a huge difference and in this way the child is practicing without realizing.

c

Strategies for reading aloud with children

Encourage the child to get involved in the story by describing pictures and making predictions.
Ask questions that require more of a response than yes or no or nodding. (“What do you predict will happen next?”)
Ask “what” questions. (“What’s this?” and point to a picture.)
Follow the child’s answer with another question. (“What is the dog doing?”)
Repeat what the child says and expand on it. (“I think you’re right. The dog is digging under the fence to find his friend.”)
Children may be unsure of how to answer an open-ended question. Model the strategies above by making your own predictions and descriptions of the pictures.
Help the child as needed.
Praise and encourage the child often.
Follow the child’s interests when helping choose books.
Allow time after each book to discuss what most interested you both about the story.
It’s important for pre-readers to notice print, know how to handle a book, and know how to follow the written word on a page. Occasionally point to words as you read so the child knows that words flow from left to right and that the story comes from words rather than pictures.
It’s okay to stop in the middle of a book if a child seems uninterested.
Children enjoy read-aloud stories that have repeated phrases, familiar songs and patterns. Hearing and reciting the rhyme, repetition, and rhythm of words allows them to begin to remember the words. This is a building block in the complicated process of beginning to read.
Leave out the second rhyme in a patterned rhyme book and have the child guess the word that is missing. (“I saw a cat, he was wearing a ____.”)
Be creative and have fun. Try reading in character, acting out parts of the book, or other techniques to engage the child in the story.
Be patient and encouraging.
Don’t overcorrect or interrupt the child.
Praise the child for self-correcting.
If the book is too frustrating, offer to take turns reading or echo read (you read a phrase, then the child tries it).
Some indicators that the text is too hard include having to sound out more than one out of five words or reading very slowly, one word at a time.
Be willing to answer any questions the child has while reading.
Praise often.