Chil- dren benefit most from reading aloud when they discuss stories, learn to identify letters and words, and talk about the meaning of words. The specific skills required for reading come from direct exper- ience with written language. At home, as in school, the more reading the better.
Parents can encourage their children's reading in many ways.
Some tutor informally by pointing out letters and words on signs and containers. Others use more formal tools, such as workbooks. But children whose parents simply read to them perform as well as those whose parents use workbooks or have had training in teach- ing. The conversation that goes with reading aloud to children is as important as the reading itself. When parents ask children only superficial questions about stories, or don't discuss the stories at all, their children do not achieve as well in reading as the children of parents who ask questions that require thinking and who relate the stories to everyday events.