Reading buddies meet at Breakfast Club in Milford
At the Breakfast Club in Milford, the best kind of buddies are reading buddies. Read Aloud Delaware offers the Reading Buddies Program which pairs school-age children with preschool students for a one-on-one reading experience.
A statewide children's literacy organization founded in 1983, Read Aloud Delaware is dedicated to ensuring that each preschool child in the state is regularly read to one-on-one. For most of the year, that goal is accomplished in Sussex County schools with over 230 adult volunteers.
In the summer months, older students in child care facilities around the county take time to read with younger students. It's a win-win situation, according to Gaye Carter, a teacher at the Breakfast Club.
"For the older students, it encourages them to read throughout the summer to keep up their reading skills. And for the younger children, it's all about kindergarten readiness. They learn to be able to sit and listen to a story. And being able to ask questions about the story develops cognitive skills," said Carter
The National Council of Teachers of English reports that students' fluency is increased both by reading aloud and by listening to other readers.
For the young readers and listeners at the Breakfast Club, it's all about having some fun. "I like reading," said 9-year-old Hayden Chisenhall. "I'm reading 'The Magic Treehouse' right now. It has inspired me to go on adventures."
Samantha Caiola, 4, learned to love being read to from bedtime stories with her mother, and she now enjoys listening as the older children like Hayden read her books including her favorite, "The Cat in the Hat."
Brothers Quentin, 8, and 5-year-old Grayson Huff enjoy reading together. "I like that I get to spend time with my brother," said Quentin.
Cade Carter, 7, likes the way the younger students really listen and pay attention. He enjoys letting them turn the pages in the books they read together. Aiden Burgholzer, 4, couldn't agree more. "Turning the pages is my favorite part," he said.
Children's author Mercer Mayer wrote a book called "Just My Friend and Me." Maybe that would be a good choice the next time reading buddies get together at the Breakfast Club.
