Parents often tell me that their child will “not sit through stories” and that they find it difficult to get through an entire story with them. While not every child is a bookworm, there are some ways to engage your child during book reading. Reading together can strength your child’s speech and language skills as well as their early language skills. Below are some ideas for book reading with your preschool child.
General tips:
- Allow your child to choose from 2-3 books. This will provide them with more control and therefore they’re more likely to sit through the book
- Designate a certain time for book reading (e.g. before bed), so they learn that it is part of their routine
- Give them a “job” while reading; again this will get them more engaged and feel they have more control (e.g. flip the pages, open flaps)
- Re-read the same story again and again. Use similar words and sentences while reading the book. With repetition, your child will begin to fill in parts of the story and eventually they may attempt to tell most of the story on their own
Some ideas while reading with your 2 and 3 year old child:
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- Simplify complex text in the story. You can talk about what is happening in the story instead of reading all the words
- Wait for your child to point/say something, then expand on what they’ve pointed out
- Label actions and items in the book
- Ask who/what/where questions about the characters in the story (e.g. who is on the slide? where is the puppy hiding? what is the bear doing in the pool?)
Some ideas while reading with your 3 and 4 year old child:
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- Have conversations about what is happening in the book. Try to relate the events in the story to your child’s life (e.g. “that boy has a red hat just like you!”)
- Encourage your child to predict what will happen next: “what do you think the boy’s mommy will do?”
- Ask why/how/what if questions (e.g. why is the boy crying? what would have happened if the wolf caught the pig?)
- After reading the book, talk about what happened “first” and what happened “last”
To connect with one of our Speech Therapists for more information, feel free to call us or book an appointment.
Additional ideas can be found on the Hanen website: http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Fun-Activities/Sharing-books-with-Preschoolers,-the-Hanen-Way.aspx
Li Tang
Speech Language Pathologist
