Reading aloud boosts child success

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. educator says having been read to often is the best predictor of a child's reading success.

Kathleen Martin of the University of Alabama at Birmingham warns that children who have not been read to regularly often enter kindergarten and first grade lacking skills that help them learn to read.

"Reading aloud to children helps them develop oral language," Martin said in a statement. "It teaches them how to listen and how narrative is structured. They also learn vocabulary and how print works and that it is read from left to right."

It is never too early to begin reading aloud to children, she says, and reading continues to be of value as the child grows older. She suggests parents to be animated when reading aloud -- even using different voices for the various characters. Look for quality reading that offers either satisfying stories, rhymes, rhythm or interesting facts.

Together with colleague Kay Emfinger, Martin has written a book entitled "Sharing Books Together: Promoting Emergent Literacy Through Reading Aloud and Home-School Partnerships."