The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids

by Sarah Mackenzie

Read-aloud time gets markedly easier around the time your child hits her fourth birthday. Kids in this age group can usually listen for longer stretches of time. They still enjoy looking at bright and beautiful illustrations but are often also capable of listening to stories without illustrations. Four-to-seven-year-olds are the perfect age for fairy tales and fables, and often delight in a variety of tales from harrowing, heroic adventures to silly, nonsensical stories. Children in this age bracket will likely (though not always) begin reading instruction. Something you’ll want to remember is to keep books a source of delight for your child. Too often, parents and educators are overly anxious to get kids reading on their own, sacrificing a child’s enjoyment of books in the process of teaching phonics, decoding, and comprehension. Keep in mind that when it comes to our kids and books, it is not worth it to teach a child to read earlier if that means sacrificing their love of reading in the process. Our first and foremost priority is to nurture a love for books.