Pointing at print while reading aloud boosts preschoolers' reading

A tiny change in how teachers and parents read aloud to preschoolers may deliver a big boost to children's reading skills years later, according to a 2012 study from Ohio State University.

The change is simple: make specific references to print while reading \u2014 point out letters and words on the page, show capital letters, and demonstrate that reading goes left to right and top to bottom. Preschool children whose teachers used these print references during storybook reading showed more advanced reading skills one and even two years later than children whose teachers did not. The researchers described it as the first study to show causal links between referencing print and later literacy achievement.

"Using print references during reading was just a slight tweak to what teachers were already doing in the classroom, but it led to a sizeable improvement in reading for kids," said Shayne Piasta, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State.

"This would be a very manageable change for most preschool teachers, who already are doing storybook reading in class."

Piasta conducted the randomized trial with lead investigator Laura Justice, an Ohio State professor of teaching and learning, plus co-investigators Anita McGinty of the University of Virginia and Joan Kaderavek of the University of Toledo. Their results appeared in the May-June 2012 issue of the journal Child Development.

The practical takeaway survived the years: next time you read aloud to a small child, run your finger under the words. The pictures may delight, but the print is what teaches them to read.

This item was updated during our 2026 editorial audit to replace the original truncated press-release copy.

A small change in how teachers and parents read aloud to preschoolers may provide a big boost to their reading skills later on, a new study found.

That small change involves making specific references to print in books while reading to children -- such as pointing out letters and words on the pages, showing capital letters, and showing how you read from left to right and top to bottom on the page.

Preschool children whose teachers used print references during storybook reading showed more advanced reading skills one and even two years later when compared to children whose teachers did not use such references. This is the first study to show causal links between referencing print and later literacy achievement.

"Using print references during reading was just a slight tweak to what teachers were already doing in the classroom, but it led to a sizeable improvement in reading for kids," said Shayne Piasta, co-author of the study and assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University.

"This would be a very manageable change for most preschool teachers, who already are doing storybook reading in class."

Piasta conducted the study with lead investigator Laura Justice, professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State, as well as co-investigators Anita McGinty of the University of Virginia and Joan Kaderavek of the University of Toledo. Their results appear in the April 2012 issue of the journal