Most young children are not read to on a daily basis.

[KBecks]

A recent study commissioned by Reach Out and Read revealed that the majority of young children — 52 percent — are not being read to on a daily basis. That's 13 million children under 6 years old who are going to bed every night without a bedtime story — without the undivided, loving attention that comes with sharing a favorite book with their parents
Dr. Barry Zuckerman, Reach Out and Read

One of my blogging friends is discussing this at her site - here is her post, with an active discussion in the comments.

How can we encourage reading aloud?
http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/200...ing-aloud.html

I thought it would be interesting to discuss as parents, and share thoughts on helping improve the numbers.

[overcome]

Oh how I wish I had the answer! I am SUCH a firm believer in reading aloud (both as a parent and teacher). Jim Trelease is seriously one of my heros. If you haven't read his book, please do!
http://www.amazon.com/Read-Aloud-Han...3191037&sr=8-1

Some ideas, off the top of my head:
-if you are in a mommy and me group/playgroup/whatever, suggest having a reading day where everyone comes to the group in their jammies with blankets and pillows and books and do lots of reading activities (read w/your own child, switch children and read to someone else's child, have one mommy who enjoys reading aloud and is good at it read a fantastic book to the group, etc.)

-ask your child's teacher if you could come in and be a guest reader...again...pick a fabulous book to read so the enthusiam is high

-give books as gifts...We are giving DD daycare class a valentine book to each student in lieu of a valentine...the scholastic book orders often have a book or two available for $1

-bumper sticker on your car something like "read to your child every day"
Check out these bumper stickers!!! http://bumperstickers.cafepress.com/read

-could we organize an email campaign to Oprah to get Jim Trelease on her show to promote read alouds?

I'll try to think of more and will be anxious to hear what others think!

[KrisM]

We don't always read a book at bedtime. We do usually read at some point during the day though, but not every day. I'd say 28 of 30 for the month for books being read and 25 of 30 for a bedtime story.

Sometimes, DS1 picks to play a game instead of a book - he picks something that DD can't yet play and either DH or I go upstairs and play with him.

DD often falls asleep before we get to books. We're working on an earlier bedtime for her, but just run out of time. She pretty much always gets stories during the day though.

I think that's fine, even though it's not every day. They are definitely getting read to. DS1 can read a few dozen words on his own. They tell each other stories they make up, so the imagination is there, too.

I feel bad for those who don't get any stories during a normal day. I think the kids must miss it, even if they don't realize it.

[overcome]

Wanted to mention this for those who don't feel they have enough time during the day to read....

I have TONS of books on my ipod for DD to listen to in the car. Sometimes we have the books to accompany them and sometimes she just listens to them. It is AWESOME, especially for long trips. Itunes has LOTS to choose from.

[trales]

DD is obsessed with books, I guess she comes by that naturally, we sometimes read 12-15 books a day and sometimes the same one 30-40 times in a row or just the same page over and over again. For her second b-day I was thinking of having a book exchange instead of presents.

We do not always get a bedtime story in though.

[Wife_and_mommy]

This should be an educational thread.

I would love for tips on being a "good" reader. I do pretty well with my own kids but have felt awkward when I read aloud at DD's preschool. I guess I feel like I'm "on stage". Don't like that.

So bottom line, if someone who had *never* read aloud to their kids asked for tips, what would you say? I know I'd say (ahem, to dh ) that reading completely monotone is not the way to do it.

Another tip I'd have is for preschooler parents whose kiddos aren't interested in chapter books. I started DD with Charlotte's Web. It was an older version that had pictures every couple/few pages. It was a good transition for her. I was able to explain that she can "make" the picture in her head from the words I was reading. We very easily moved on to a no-pic book after that one.

Would love to hear any other ideas.

[overcome]

For her second b-day I was thinking of having a book exchange instead of presents.

We did this for DD 3rd birthday and it was AWESOME! The kids loved picking a "present" to open..DD was totally satisfied. I loved the way it turned out. Plus, several of the parents commented on what a great idea it was and that they really enjoyed picking out a book. Make sure you buy a couple extra books in case ppl don't bring one or a sibling attends and didn't bring a book.

[overcome]

I would love for tips on being a "good" reader. I do pretty well with my own kids but have felt awkward when I read aloud at DD's preschool. I guess I feel like I'm "on stage". Don't like that.

I think the most important thing is to choose a book that you love, feel totally comfortable reading, and has a nice flow that is easy for listeners to follow. If you LOVE a book, it will naturally show through your reading.

I would say rhyming books or repetitive books would be a good choice for preschool as they would get into the sing-song of the rhymes and enjoy a repetitive book when they know what is coming next. Does that make sense?

HTH!!

[KBecks]

I really, really need to check out the books on tape / ipod stuff. I feel so, so uncoordinated with the technology of Ipod downloads, but it can't be that difficult. We are going on a family trip to Jamaica and I have been thinking about entertainment for the long flight and long bus ride, and audiobooks are an attractive (and affordable) alternative to purchasing an individual DVD player (which we may also consider).

I know that many parents in this community are way ahead of the game in reading habits, which is awesome, awesome. I feel inspired when I read about what other people are doing in terms of reading and educational / developmental support for their kids. I love this community and think the input from BBB is so useful to the discussion.

In addition to Jim Trelease, who I also love, I want to check out Mem Fox's book on reading. I recently read a wonderful essay by her about television at a great podcast blog called Just One More Book (for everyone here who is more podcast-savvy than I am). Here it is: Flashing Screens or Turning Pages, Winning the War Between Books and Television
Her book is called Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, and I think it's also going to be fantastic. Haven't read but can't wait to.

[KBecks]

Ashley, I love your ideas! There are not a lot of things I would put a bumper sticker on the van for, but reading is one of them. Jim Trelease retired last year, I don't know if he did many television interviews or not. Maybe Mem Fox would though, or some other reading advocate? I was just on the Yahoo main page and was wondering how hard or easy it might be to have this reading story (about most kids not getting read to) as the lead item....

One of the things I love about my husband is that he reads to the boys.