A recent study found that focusing on the words as well as the pictures while reading aloud to pre-K students had a big payoff: By the time they were in first grade, kids were better spellers, and they read and understood more words. A few ideas:
1. Highlight specific words and explain: “The words right here say ‘drive the bus.’ Those are the words the pigeon says because he wants to drive the bus.”
2. Play letter games. Ask your child to find other words that have an “m” in them or hunt for all the capital letters.
3. Point out the author and the direction of the text. Your child will benefit from knowing how a book is organized.
Find the best books for your child’s age and interests at Scholastic.com/100Books.