10 Magical Tips to Ignite Your Child's Imagination while reading aloud
One of my fondest memories is sitting in my brother’s room with our mother as she read aloud The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. It was dark and cold outside, but we were snug under the duvet, transported together into the heart of the story. We delighted in craning our necks up at Henry Sugar’s London balcony, imagining the thrill of being showered in £20 notes!!!
Reading aloud to children is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. Numerous studies have proven the endless benefits of reading, it's like planting seeds of imagination in a child's mind, nurturing their curiosity and creativity.
As Rebecca Bellingham explains in her TED Talk, Why We Should All Be Reading Aloud to Children, being read to feels like attending an exciting "reading party." For young readers, decoding words can be exhausting, but when a parent reads, children are free to enjoy the story's adventure, humour, and emotions. This joy fosters a lifelong love of reading, as one great story leads to another, and another, and soon, they’re hooked for life. Bingo!
This idea of doing things together, and crucially having fun together, is central to how we’re building TANDEM. Here are ten tips to help you make the most of reading aloud to your children:
1.Pause for interaction: Take breaks to point out illustrations or ask questions about the story to engage your child. This comes naturally to some of us, but not all of us. At TANDEM, we’re trying to work out how to best ‘nudge’ you to do this, without disrupting your flow.
2. Pick, or create, playful books: For younger children, choose books with songs, rhymes, or repeated phrases to help improve memory and sound recognition. In TANDEM, look for stories under “Move, dance, sing, or be silly” or “Bedtime stories” as these fit into this category.
3. Get into character: Experiment with accents and voices to bring characters to life. Imagine you’re performing on stage but don’t worry about making mistakes!
4. Slow it down: Give children time to process new information, especially unfamiliar words and ideas. Remember, the point isn’t to finish the book, it’s to have fun together.
5. Embrace repetition: Try to endure reading the same books over and over again, children will really benefit from this, and they also find pleasure in the retelling. And in TANDEM, you could always try creating several stories with the same characters or objects in them, so you get some repetition without feeling like you are the robot!
6. Invite participation: Encourage children to join in with lines that are predictable, or that they remember. This is great for their confidence and keeps them engaged in the story.
7. Have fun with mistakes: Deliberately misread parts of familiar stories—kids will love correcting you!
8. Let them choose: Let your child pick the books you read together, or to create their own stories with TANDEM. When it’s your turn, you might also want to introduce stories from diverse cultural or social settings to broaden their understanding of the world; although it might be hard to find these in your local library or bookshop, within TANDEM the options really are limitless. If you have suggestions for characters, events, occasions or cultures we should build into the platform, feel free to share them with us!
9. Fire their imagination: After reading, take time to discuss the story or quiz your child. On Tandem, try “Answer these questions” for a fun quiz with hilarious sound effects or “Have you thought about…” for imaginative conversation starters.
10. Make it a habit: Finally, try to read together for 10 minutes every day to build a routine. TANDEM will remind you, and is designed to mean you’re never short of a story to read.
Happy reading! Reading aloud connects hearts and minds through the power of storytelling. So, let's embark on this magical journey together. Choose a story, find a cozy spot, and ignite your child's imagination.
TANDEM is currently in closed beta, but we’re planning a limited launch soon. If you’d like to get early access, please sign up to our waitlist.
