Some do's and don'ts of reading aloud

BOGOR, West Java (JP): One of the first things to remember before parents read aloud to their children is that they should also be interested in the book.

Children can sense that you are bored with a book, and they would very likely think the same thing.

Remember that children usually have short attention spans. Only gradually do they build the ability to concentrate for a longer period.

Therefore, parents need to find age appropriate reading materials, such as picture books or short stories.

Parents must prepare themselves for the time when they will despair and think their child is hopeless because he or she seems to prefer to eat rather than read the book. At four months of age, for instance, children have limited mobility and therefore have little choice but to listen and observe. Children respond well to being encircled by their parent's arms in such a way as to suggest support and not imprisonment.

By six months, however, children are more interested in grabbing a book to suck on it rather than listening (which actually they are also doing). Children can often be distracted if given a teething ring.

At eight months, children may prefer turning the pages rather than steady listening. They should be allowed to do so, but a parent should not give up reading completely.

At 12 months, children's involvement usually grows to turning pages, pointing at objects a parent names on the page, and even making noises for animals on cue.

By fifteen months and the onset of walking, according to reading expert Jim Trelease, children's restlessness blossoms fully, and reading times must be chosen so as not to frustrate their immediate interests.

The following are some do's and don'ts of reading aloud that Jim Trelease gives in his book.

* Start with simple songs and rhymes to stimulate an infant's language and listening. Simple but boldly colored picture books arouse children's curiosity and visual sense.

* Try to set aside at least one traditional time each day for a story.

* Read the book yourself ahead of time. Such advance reading allows you to spot material you may wish to shorten, eliminate or elaborate on.

* Picture books can be read to a group of children widely separated in age. Novels, however, pose a problem. If the age difference is more than two years, set aside different time slots for each child.

* Vary the length and subject matter of your reading.

* Follow through with your reading. Don't leave the child hanging for three or four days between chapters and expect their interest to be sustained.

* If chapters are long, find a suspenseful spot at which to stop. Leave the audience hanging; they will be counting the minutes until the next reading.

* Make sure the child can see the pictures easily.

* Allow time for discussion after reading a story.

* Read slowly enough for the child to build mental pictures of what he or she just heard you read.

* Encourage the child to have a book with him or her anywhere.

* Fathers should make an extra effort to read to their children, Trelease says. Because 98 percent of primary school teachers are women, young boys often associate reading with women and school work. Just as unfortunately, too many fathers prefer to do other activities with their boys rather than going to the library.

"It is not by chance that most of the students in remedial reading classes are boys," Trelease says. "A father's early involvement with books and reading can do much to elevate books to at least the same status as baseball gloves and hockey sticks in a boy's estimation."

* Don't read stories you don't enjoy yourself. Your dislike will show in the reading and that defeats your purpose.

* Don't continue reading a book once it is obvious that it was a poor choice. Admit the mistake and choose another.

* Consider the intellectual, social and emotional level of your audience in making a read-aloud selection.

* Don't select a story that many of the children already have heard or seen on television. Once a novel's plot is known, much of their interest is lost. You can, however, read a book ahead of the story's appearance on television or at the movies. Afterwards, encourage the child to see the movie.

* Don't impose interpretations of a story upon the child. However, encourage conversation about the reading.

* Don't use the book as a threat -- "If you don't clean up your room, no story tonight!"

* Don't try to compete with television. Don't tell the child, "which do you want, a story or TV?" The child will usually choose the latter. It's better to say, "The television goes off at 8:30 in this house. If you want a story before bed, that's fine. If not, that's fine too. But no television after 8:30." (Soekanto S.A.)