The benefits of reading to your child and how read along books can be a huge help for parents
Encourage independent reading with an audio book.
It’s never too early for children to embrace and fall in love with stories and books.
Reading to your little ones is one of the most important activities for developing the knowledge required for eventual success in reading. By reading together you are helping your child to become familiar with sounds, words, language and over time the joy of books.
Research shows that young children need to be read with (and read to) regularly, ideally every day, to help develop a solid foundation for literacy.
It also promotes bonding and is good for your relationship with your child.
According to Raising Children, reading to children has the following benefits:
- shows them that books can give both pleasure and information
- helps them learn the sounds of letters in spoken language
- helps them understand that stories aren’t coming from you, but from the words on the page – this teaches them about how the printed word works
- helps them develop a larger vocabulary – books might use new or unfamiliar words
- improves their thinking and problem-solving skills
- can get children thinking and talking about a new concept, an event or something that interests them
- helps them learn about the wider community, society and the world.
For many time-poor parents, who are juggling work, childcare, school and day-to-day life, finding the time to read to their child on a daily basis can be tricky.
Helping parents with the task of reading – and keeping kids off screens – is a series of narrated books created by Australian mum Jenny Baker.
A narrated story paired with a printed book will allow your child to read independently.
“Read Along With Me books are designed so that children can enjoy real, hard copy books while listening to the story read aloud,” explains Jenny.
“Parents can scan the QR code, connect their device to a bluetooth speaker, set their child up with a book and a speaker and… no screen!”
Jenny says the classic stories, which she has illustrated and narrated, “use technology to avoid technology”.
“I remember having books with matching cassette tapes when I was a child, this is my modern take on the same idea,” she explains.
Classic titles in the Read Along With Me Series include The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Night Before Christmas and many more.
Read Along With Me books are illustrated classic children’s books that have matching narration designed for children’s aged 3- 6 years old.
Each book has a QR code inside the front cover. Parents scan the code to start the narration or can tune into the Read Along With Me Books podcast to access the narration.
Parents can link their device to a speaker and let the child enjoy “reading” a real book independently as they listen and follow along with the story and turn the page when they hear a chime.
Classic tittles in the Read Along With Me range include The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Hare and the Tortoise, The Night Before Christmas and many more.
