The Read-Aloud Connection is dedicated to the importance, the documented benefits, and the joy of shared reading. The information offered here is given in support of read-alouds in all venues of learning, including the home; in intergenerational programs; and in senior memory care communities. Book reviews, plus articles on current research and best practices are included.

Please let us know what you think! Your experiences, ideas and comments are most welcomed.

Rita Akins

The Read-Aloud Connection


Time Together Coloring

Time Together Coloring

We all have childhood memories of lifting the lid on a new box of crayons, eyeing all those beautiful colors with nice, sharpened tips, and diving into a coloring book ...
Sky Blue Pink . . .

Sky Blue Pink . . .

Using well-known sayings for reminiscing and a bit of fun– Sky blue pink with a heavenly border ~ that was my Mom’s answer one day when I asked her to ...
Reading and Dementia - Fostering a "can do" spirit

Reading and Dementia – Fostering a “can do” spirit

As dementia advances and words on a page become difficult, some may conclude that reading is no longer possible. The challenges of reading for someone with dementia are real and ...
Intergenerational Reading Partners

Intergenerational Reading Partners

Bookend generations come together through story– We generally think of reading aloud as something that is shared between an adult and a child; but imagine that the adult is an ...
Three-Part Cards for Older Adults

Three-Part Cards for Older Adults

A beneficial tool for memory care– Older adults with dementia who have enjoyed reading all their lives can continue to read in different ways.  While some may read every word ...
The Tide

The Tide

Author Clare Helen Welsh and illustrator Ashling Lindsay deliver on a beautiful story that conveys, with sensitivity, a child’s perspective on the memory loss of her beloved grandfather. Recommended: Ages ...
A Meaningful Read-Aloud Experience for Older Adults with Dementia

A Meaningful Read-Aloud Experience for Older Adults with Dementia

It was in 2016 that I was first introduced to the work of award-winning dementia educator, Jennifer Brush, and her use of the Montessori approach with people living with dementia ...