It is well known that reading to young children is essential for helping them develop their language and early literacy skills, as well as for helping them develop their love for reading and expand their perspectives and knowledge. However, recent research shows that it’s also important to have conversations with children.
With some libraries closed in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, my sister and I wondered how families with young children, especially those enrolled in Title 1 schools and Head Start programs, would get access to books so that they could continue to read and converse with their children. We also wondered how children whose families do not speak English at home would continue to converse in English.
We started Read Aloud Buddies to see if we could help. The Read Aloud Buddies program involves high school and college volunteers reading and discussing books with preschool and elementary school children from Title I schools over Zoom to improve their vocabulary and narrative skills. We show the books on the screen and introduce them to new books. We match readers and children nationwide to help with reading over Zoom.
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Scientists at MIT and Harvard report that children’s brains change when they converse with adults. In a study with children between the ages of 4 and 6, the researchers examined “conversational turns,” the number of times the child and adult spoke. They found that children who had experienced more “conversational turns” had more activity in the Broca’s area, which is part of the brain responsible for speech production and language processing, while they listened to stories. These children with more “conversational turns” also had more advanced vocabulary, grammar, and verbal reasoning. The researchers stress the importance of having conversations that engage children.
Earlier this year, an article in the New York Times found that as more and more young children increase their screen time, they have fewer and fewer conversations with their parents and caregivers. The fewer conversations they have, the fewer conversational turns they will have.
Initially started with a handful of children, Read Aloud Buddies now reads weekly to approximately 50 children in preschool through Grade 6 nationwide, rapidly growing through word of mouth. Many children attend Title I schools and are from non-English-speaking homes.
One parent recently shared: “Noah’s reading buddy is awesome, super engaging, and asks questions that help with Noah’s comprehension and curiosity.” Another parent shared, “She [volunteer reader] was an awesome reading buddy and would make Hana giggle the whole time!”
Hana had just started learning English when she started Read Aloud Buddies in September. She was shy and hesitant, but by February, she loved her high school reading buddy and would count down the days to be read to. Parents appreciate the variety of books and conversational opportunities for their children, and readers love seeing the children’s faces light up on Zoom as they read the stories together.
I’m proud that Read Aloud Buddies has brought so much happiness to the readers, the children, and their parents and that these small acts of kindness utilizing digital technology can create opportunities to build communities and spread happiness.
*We also gift books to the children for the holidays and at the end of each school year. All of our books have been donated. If you would like to donate books, please check out https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/8YFQ1J2N6FYD?ref_=wl_share