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Feature
Read Aloud This Month
The March Issue
The month of March is such an exciting time of year, with the coming of Spring and the lead-up to Easter, all representing rebirth and renewal, new life and growth. It’s also the month we judge the IPPY Awards, so for me it’s all about books, brand new books to read and evaluate, discovering original voices and concepts, always finding hope and optimism for the future.
This is an appropriate time to recognize the gift of books and the joy of reading, and what better way to celebrate than to promote reading aloud with children? March is National Reading Awareness Month, and the group most active in bringing awareness to the importance of reading aloud to young children, ReadAloud.org, has just published a new in-depth survey on the topic.
Some of the main points are:
“The vast majority of parents believe reading aloud has a positive impact on vocabulary skills, listening skills, readiness for kindergarten, and academic success.”
But…
“Just 46% of parents say their child is read books aloud at home every day, and only 34% say their child is read books aloud at home daily for 15 minutes.”
“Parents report that not having enough time in the day and their child not sitting still are the biggest barriers to their children being read books aloud daily.”
The report concludes that:
“a stronger sense of urgency may be needed to bridge the gap. Although parents realize how important it is to read books aloud to their children, there are still opportunities to read aloud more frequently, and in different situations.”
See the entire report at ReadAloud.org, get inspired, and remember: if you spend any evenings with children, READ ALOUD to them!
Cheers from the IPPY Hippie,
Jim Barnes, Editor and Awards Director