Advice from Read Aloud pros Mary Kay Bond and Sara Busse
By Kristen Lefevers
With schools closed or uncertain, this is a wonderful opportunity for parents to read aloud to their kids. However, if your kids seem more interested in their toys than story time, or if you’re not used to read aloud, then it can feel uncomfortable. But don’t worry—we have some tips from two read aloud veterans.
“Parents and grandparents need to remember they are really important to the children in their care, and what they say matters,” says Mary Kay Bond, a Read Aloud West Virginia founder and former Executive Director. “The sheer act of picking a book and reading it says ‘I love you’ to the child. When children hear a word, especially in a loving setting, they build their vocabulary toolbox, which is the foundation on which their education is built. Just hearing the words is important.”
Sara Busse, another founding member of Read Aloud and longtime volunteer, said something similar. “Children might not understand the whole story, but they’re hearing well-prepared sentences and vocabulary.” She also talked about how important it is for parents to show themselves some grace. When it comes to read aloud, she said, “Don’t press it. Don’t push it. If it’s not working, close the book, and come back to it later. Or if it’s the book itself that isn’t working, pick another book, and don’t feel guilty about it.”
If you’re wondering about the ideal time or place to read to your kids, “bedtime is a good time,” Mary Kay said. “They’re winding down then.”
“Read to them in weird places,” Sara said. “Read to them in the bathtub. It’s a good place, because they’re stuck there.” She used to play a game with her children. Everyone would sit around the kitchen table with a die and a book. If the die landed on an odd number, whoever had the book passed it to the person on the left, who would then read a page before rolling again; and if it landed on an even number, they passed it to the person on the right.
What should you do if your kids still don’t seem interested in read aloud right now?
“We’re all trying to maintain a sense of normalcy, but there’s really no normal right now,” Sara said. “If the kids are getting too much screen time, it’s okay.” She said that parents might have to let the extreme be the normal for right now.
Mary Kay suggested finding something that your child is interested in and then reading about it with them. If your child is interested in baking, for example, you could read a cookbook and bake a cake together. This works especially well for older kids, she said, and teaches them that they can get information from reading.
“But don’t think that every book has to have activities,” she added. Sometimes kids, and adults, too, just need to get lost in a story.
“Trust your instincts when you’re reading one-on-one with a child who knows and loves you,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to be a little silly. Make voices, make animals sounds. You want to make it fun.”
It’s easy for both kids and adults to feel anxious right now, but Sara says read aloud can help. It helped her family after 9/11.
“My kids were younger then. We turned off the TV and read more. There’s something to be said about laughing through a silly book, or even crying through a serious one like Old Yeller,” she said.
The final piece of advice? Let the kids choose, and don’t be surprised if they pick one that seems below their reading level.
“I would encourage people to let children choose the books they want to hear. Choice is empowering,” Mary Kay said.
She also shared a story that a mother shared with her a few years back.
“Her daughter was 15 or 16,” Mary Kay said. “She’d had a bad day at school, and when she came home, she asked her mother to read to her for the first time in a long time. And even though she was in high school, she picked a Strawberry Shortcake book.”
She said it’s important that parents don’t discourage their kids if they choose a book that seems below their reading level. Like the woman’s daughter in the story above, your child may simply associate that book with good memories. And those memories can be very comforting in this uncertain time.
Kristen Lefevers, of Gilbert, Mingo County, is a graduate of the University of Charleston.