Evidence-based curriculum for ages 2-8

Try ABCmouse FREE

for 30 days!

Then just $14.99/mo. until canceled.

Do Not Sell My Info

Logo

Do Not Sell My Information

We take your privacy very seriously and will never monetize the Personal Information of any User of our Services by providing it to a third party in exchange for money. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) has a broader definition of the term “sell” which includes disclosing Personal Information to any third party for valuable consideration. When we work with our advertising partners, we are disclosing certain information such as cookies for their services, which are of value to us. Under the CCPA you have the right to opt-out of our disclosure of your Personal Information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. You may exercise your right to opt-out through the settings on this page. However, please note that if you opt-out you will not receive special discounts or offers that may be of interest to you. In addition, if you opt-out, but come back to our site through a different browser or device we will not be able to recognize you, so you will still have to opt-out again.

Manage Cookie Preferences

Sale of Personal Information Opt-Out

We take your privacy very seriously and will never monetize the Personal Information of any User of our Services by providing it to a third party in exchange for money. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) has a broader definition of the term “sell” which includes disclosing Personal Information to any third party for valuable consideration. When we work with our advertising partners, we are disclosing certain information such as cookies for their services, which are of value to us. Under the CCPA you have the right to opt-out of our disclosure of your Personal Information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. You may exercise your right to opt-out through the settings on this page. However, please note that if you opt-out you will not receive special discounts or offers that may be of interest to you. In addition, if you opt-out, but come back to our site through a different browser or device we will not be able to recognize you, so you will still have to opt-out again.

Analytics and Performance Cookies

These cookies are used to collect information about traffic to our Services and how users use the Services. The information gathered does not identify any individual visitor. It includes the number of visitors to our Services, the websites that referred them to our Services, the pages they visited on our Services, what time of day they visited our Services, whether they have visited our Services before, and other similar information. We use this information to help operate our Services more efficiently, to gather broad demographic information, and to monitor the level of activity on our Services.

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Functionality Cookies

Always Active

These cookies allow us to remember choices you make when you use our Services, such as remembering your language preferences, remembering your login details, and remembering the changes you make to other parts of Services which you can customize. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a more personal experience and to avoid you having to re-enter your preferences every time you visit our Services.

Essential Cookies

Always Active

These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through Services and to enable you to use some of its features. For example, they allow you to log in to secure areas of our Services and help the content of the pages you request load quickly. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for cannot be provided, and we only use these cookies to provide you with those services.

A father and daughter reading together.

The Power of Shared Reading

Learn how shared reading can boost your child’s literacy skills at home in just four simple steps.

Children learn to read in a variety of ways and interactive approaches can be especially helpful. Shared reading is a highly effective interactive approach to reading where students and a teacher read a text collaboratively. Here’s how and why it works, plus tips and ideas for trying it with your child. 

What is Shared Reading? 

In a shared reading session, a teacher reads a text together with students, guiding the process while actively engaging them throughout. Teachers will use tools such as oversized books, document cameras, or eBooks on a projector so students can see the words and/or pages at all times.   

A teacher reading a book to her class.

The teacher begins the read aloud, modeling fluent behavior like pacing and expression. They stop and demonstrate concepts like decoding a word, using context to determine meaning, or to ask students a comprehension question. Students are also asked to read aloud, often in unison (choral reading). The entire experience is collaborative, with teachers and students both active participants in the reading and discussion. 

While shared reading often takes place in group settings such as classrooms, it can also be a one-on-one activity, used by reading tutors or parents as they help their child develop literacy skills.

The shared reading strategy was pioneered in the 1970s by Don Holdaway, a New Zealand educator and researcher. He was looking for a way to recreate the personal dialogue of a home reading experience in a classroom setting. 

How to Use Shared Reading with Your Child  

If you’re ready to turn story time into shared reading time, try these helpful strategies and tips. 

1. Choose the Right Text 

The best texts for shared reading fall into what’s known as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This term describes the gap between what kids can do on their own and what they’re capable of doing with some guidance. The best shared reading books are a little more challenging than your child’s current reading level, offering you the chance to guide them as they tackle unfamiliar words or concepts. Some publishers offer books specifically for shared reading. Your child’s teacher may be able to make recommendations of good texts too. 

A young girl looking at and sorting colorful magnetic letters on a flat surface.

Tip: ABCmouse includes an expansive digital library featuring hundreds of books at every reading level. While children can listen to and follow along with many of the books, they can also enjoy books with an adult and pause them as needed to allow for questions and discussions.  

2. Examine the Book Together 

Before you begin, look over the book together to note the title, author, illustrator, subject, and other print awareness features. (Find out more about print awareness here.) Ask your child to predict what will happen in the text based on things like the title or illustrations. If it’s a nonfiction text, ask what they already know about the topic and hope to learn. 

3. Read the Text Together 

Mother and daughter working on shared reading together.

In a group setting, teachers often do most of the reading, asking students to join in by reading in unison. In smaller groups, they may give individual readers a chance to read aloud as well. 

When you’re working at home with your child, shared reading can become a cooperative process, since you’re in a more personal setting. Take turns reading aloud with your child, modeling fluency and helping them with challenging passages. You can also read together in unison, or you can read a sentence or passage and have your child repeat it.

Here’s what it looks like when each participant reads aloud: 

Parent Reads Aloud

Child Reads Aloud 

4. Discuss the Text Throughout Shared Reading  

Father helping a young girl with school work.

During and after reading the text, ask reading comprehension questions and have a discussion about what you’ve read. Use a graphic organizer to create a story map. Ask your child to retell all or parts of the story in their own words. Talk about the character’s traits, actions, and choices. Take time to consider what you might have done if you were one of the characters in the story. Answer any questions or concerns your child has about what you’ve read. 

Shared Reading FAQ: 

What is the Theory of Shared Reading? 

The concept of shared reading is rooted in the idea that children learn best in social groups, guided by more experienced people (usually adults). It’s a type of educational scaffolding, where teachers provide a great deal of support in the beginning of a learning process, then slowly decrease that support over time until the student can complete the activity on their own. Shared reading is sometimes called dialogic reading, reflecting the dialogue between teacher and learners throughout the process.  

Is shared reading backed by research? 

Shared reading supports many aspects of the science of reading, the most commonly used method of literacy instruction. The effectiveness of shared reading is backed by a large volume of research, revealing benefits like these:  

Vocabulary: A study published in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly in 2000 showed that shared reading significantly increased vocabulary in preschool children who were developmentally slower than their peers.  

Print Awareness: In 2002, a study found that shared reading with a print focus increased print awareness skills like print recognition and alphabet knowledge. 

Reading Comprehension: By reading texts aloud, teachers guide students through comprehension questions and strategies. Studies like this one from 2013 indicate an increase in reading comprehension skills from shared reading.  

Love of Reading: Shared reading can help build confidence and encourage a life-long love of reading in general, according to a 1995 study

Can shared reading help struggling readers? 

Definitely! In fact, it’s one of the most effective methods for helping a child improve their skills. Research shows shared reading supports fluency, comprehension, print awareness, and vocabulary development. This method also builds confidence by scaffolding the learning process, helping kids build their skills in a safe and supportive setting. Find more ways to help struggling readers here

Do students real aloud during shared reading? 

This depends on the circumstances. In a group shared reading setting, teachers usually do the majority of the reading, asking students to join in choral reading or repeat a sentence or word. They may also ask individual students to read a sentence or two. 

In one-on-one settings, children can take over more of the reading. However, the parent should read aloud as well as the child to model the desired behaviors. A parent and child can take turns, playing more equal roles as they read the text. 

How is shared reading different than other reading strategies?

Shared reading uses aspects of several other literacy instruction methods but isn’t quite the same. 

Shared Reading vs. Read Alouds 

Think of read-alouds as “story time” sessions, where an adult reads a book out loud to a child or group of children. While children may be able to see the pictures, they often cannot see the words. The reader is usually primarily focused on presenting the story in a clear and entertaining fashion. Read-alouds model good fluency skills and help with active listening, language comprehension, and vocabulary building. However, they have a lesser effect on decoding skills, as only the reader can see the text and work to decode words.   

Shared Reading vs. Modeled Reading 

Modeled reading is very similar to read-alouds, but the teacher specifically works to model fluent behaviors. They pause to offer context clues or decoding tips and ask comprehension questions throughout the reading process. However, students aren’t usually asked to read aloud themselves.   

Shared Reading vs. Guided Reading  

In guided reading, students read aloud as the teacher guides the experience. The teacher provides help with decoding or vocabulary as the student reads, then follows up with comprehension questions to ensure understanding. In general, the focus is on the student, not the teacher, who is there to provide support and guidance as needed.  

Note that shared reading is really a combination of modeled reading and guided reading. The teacher models good reading behavior, then invites students to participate while guiding the discussion. All of these instruction methods contribute to building literacy in children, and each has their own time and place.

Are there any disadvantages to shared reading?

In a large group setting, shared reading does have several drawbacks. Since all students are unlikely to be at the exact same reading level, any text chosen will necessarily be a little too easy for some and a little too hard for others. Struggling readers may be hesitant about reading aloud in front of their peers, while proficient readers may feel bored. Teachers may not be able to give individual students the structured support they need during shared reading. Shared reading also has the potential to create student readers who are too reliant on help and guidance, rather than gaining individual skills. 

That being said, nearly all of these disadvantages are eliminated when parents participate in shared reading sessions one-on-one with their child. The biggest potential drawback is the possibility that parents will over-support their new reader, helping them over rough spots without giving them a chance to use their own skills first. Remember that shared reading requires patience on the part of the parent or teacher to be most effective. 

Additional Resources

ABCmouse offers resources for parents and activities to help children keep learning. Here are a few examples.

Preparing Your Preschooler for Reading

Tips and strategies to help get your preschooler ready to start reading.

Browse

How to Teach Phonics to Kindergartners

Tips and activities to help make learning phonics fun for your kindergartener.

Browse

Free Printable Vowel Worksheets

Check out our collection of vowel worksheets for preschoolers and up.

Browse

ABCmouse’s expert advice review process:

Our team of ABCmouse Curriculum Experts, made up of talented professionals in early childhood education and development, take a close look at educational content and learning claims. They put in the effort to make sure our information is accurate and current. We have a certified educator or another respected authority review the content, matching their expertise with the topic at hand. They’ll make sure the content is thorough and follows the latest research and educational guidelines. If they think we can make things even better, they’ll chat with our editorial team, and we’ll make those improvements right away. Only after a reviewer gives their thumbs-up does a piece of content get the official stamp of approval in the byline.

Legal Disclaimer: Any information, materials, or links to third-party resources are provided for informational purposes only. We are not affiliated with and do not sponsor/endorse these third parties and bear no responsibility for the accuracy of content on any external site.

Looking for More Printable Activities?