Join us every Wednesday in July and August and learn about the Decoda staff’s summer reading picks. Today Aliza Dhungana, a Decoda Program Manager, shares the value of reading aloud at all ages.

Children at a certain age learn to read themselves, but this does not mean that parents should stop reading aloud to them. Reading together with a child at any age provides an excellent opportunity to connect and talk about real-world situations in age-appropriate ways.

I still read aloud to my twelve-year-old daughter. We read many books on body changes, puberty, friendships and school dramas in the last three years. This year we planned to read together more on positivity and self-improvement. We are reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. It is an easy-to-understand book full of cartoons, great quotes, real-life stories and problems teenagers deal with every day. We are reading slowly, few pages at a time, followed by discussions as prompted by the book. She’s really enjoying the book. It is a must-read for teens and young adults and even for parents if you want to spend quality time with your kids.

Other books on our reading list are The 47 People You’ll Meet in the Middle School by Kristin Mahoney and The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller.

I found reading aloud with my kid is the best way to tackle complex issues. Especially when the child is a teenager, it is rare quality time spent together and a welcome opportunity to share ideas.