Daily Tips for Families

Today's Tip for Families

01-11-2025

Reading Together Develops Your Child's Thinking Skills

Reading with you can help your child become a better reader and a better thinker. The material can be almost any type—fiction, nonfiction, fantasy or biography. Just choose a book you both will enjoy reading (it can be a little more challenging than your child can read alone).

Before you start to read, discuss the book with your child. You might ask questions such as:

What does the book's title or cover tell you about the book?
What do you think the book is going to be about?
Have you read anything like this before?

Next, read the book together. You can start by reading the first sentence to your child. Then, take turns reading aloud sentence by sentence. Later, you can read longer passages before you switch.

While you're reading, ask questions that will encourage your child to think more deeply:

Do you think the author has really known places and people like the ones in the book?
If not, what sort of time and place did the author come from?
Does this remind you of any feelings you've had? Of any other book you've read or TV show you've seen?

Brought to you by:

West Point Consolidated School District