Shared reading is the practice of adults reading aloud to children in a way that encourages participation and interactivity on the part of the child, which supports the child’s developing language and literacy skills (Saracho, 2017, p. 555). It can be done one-on-one or in a group or classroom setting. Although reading books to children is widely recommended and practiced, in order to best support early literacy it is important to know how to read with young children (Campana et al., 2016, p. 48). Some of the ways that adults can provide an interactive shared reading experience are by asking questions, discussing the illustrations, pointing out text features, pausing to let children “fill in the blanks” or predict what comes next, and having conversations about what is in the book, especially relating it to the child’s personal experiences (Boyle, p. 205-206; Saracho, p. 555). Research has shown that interactive shared reading fosters children’s language and literacy development, including vocabulary, print knowledge, comprehension, phonological awareness, understanding of narrative structure and print concepts, and helps increase listening skills and background knowledge (Campana et al., 2016, p. 48; Saracho, 2017, p. 564; Zucker et al., 2013, p. 1426). These early literacy skills will pave the way for children learning to read and write on their own, and for future success in school (Bus, et al., 1995, p. 18).
Why this program?
Shared reading goes beyond simply reading books to children, because it is literacy-based and interactive. Promoting literacy is one of the highest priorities in library services, and in order to support the development of early literacy skills in young children, I have designed a library program that focuses on shared reading strategies and techniques. It will include activities and training, to help parents, caregivers, and our library staff to learn the best practices for helping young children develop essential early literacy skills.