| When dads read aloud it not only helps promote | | | | learning deepens children's understanding of words |
| reading skills. It also benefits all the other language | | | | they are learning, and they learn which words go |
| skills for the child: | | | | together. The illustrations in some books also aid |
| * Children's listening skills improve via the practice | | | | vocabulary learning. Plus, when dads read aloud to |
| they receive while listening to us read aloud. | | | | children, they are always there to assist them in |
| * The listening that children do also helps | | | | figuring out what a word means. |
| pronunciation, because they hear the words | | | | * Reading skills and writing skills go together. |
| pronounced and see the link between the letters | | | | Research shows that children who read well |
| (or characters) on the page and the way the | | | | usually write well and vice versa. By building |
| word is pronounced. Pronunciation is learned in | | | | children's reading skills, we are also helping their |
| large part by repeatedly hearing a word. Reading | | | | writing skills. Indeed, exposure to books helps |
| aloud provides multiple opportunities to hear the | | | | improve children's writing. Adults who write well |
| same word pronounced. | | | | were probably read to as children. |
| * Dads reading aloud helps their kids learn the | | | | * Grammar is yet another element of language |
| alphabet and phonics in context, rather than | | | | where exposure is key. Just as we use our visual |
| studying individual letters and sounds in a | | | | memory to decide if a word is spelled correctly, |
| workbook. This contextualized way of learning is a | | | | we use our aural (hearing) memory to help us |
| more natural, more enjoyable approach, because | | | | decide if a sentence is grammatical. Even if the |
| children learn as part of reading not as a separate | | | | sentence is written, we say it aloud to ourselves. |
| activity. It is the same for learning characters in a | | | | When the sentence, "just doesn't sound right," we |
| language such as Chinese. | | | | know that something may be wrong with the |
| * The main way that we learn to spell comes not | | | | grammar. When dads and moms read aloud is a |
| by repeating spelling lists or learning spelling rules | | | | great way to provide children with a bank of |
| that are full of exceptions. The main way we | | | | correct sentences to use to check the grammar |
| learn to spell comes from visual memory. We see | | | | of sentences that they create themselves. |
| a word we have written and say to ourselves, | | | | Finally, when dads read aloud, they draw children |
| "That doesn't look right." Then, we try writing the | | | | into discussions of what they are hearing. In this |
| word a few different ways until it looks right. | | | | way, they not only receive language by listening |
| Children develop this visual memory by seeing the | | | | to us and looking at the book, they also produce |
| word many times in the books that dads read to | | | | language when they converse with us. This |
| them. | | | | language production helps them consolidate all the |
| * It is much better to learn vocabulary by hearing | | | | pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar |
| a book read aloud than by studying a word list. In | | | | knowledge they have learned while dads are |
| a book, the rest of the book provides a context | | | | reading to them. So dads, what are you waiting |
| that helps children figure out the meaning of | | | | for? |
| words they do not know. This contextualized | | | | |