Top Tips: How should I read with my child?
Reading is an effective way to foster receptive and expressive language development, emergent literacy skills (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, print knowledge, etc.), and shared enjoyment in young children. For this reason, I incorporate a book during nearly every therapy session for my toddlers and preschoolers. However, you will rarely find me reading a book word-for-word. With this age group, I focus on following the child’s lead while reading and eliciting language and interactions in ways that target their speech and language goals.
Below, I’ve listed effective, language-based strategies to use when reading with your toddler or preschooler. You may notice many similarities between suggestions listed here and tips included in this blog post on supporting toddler language development. That’s because many strategies used to foster toddler and preschool language development emphasize modifications parents can make when interacting with their children.
Provide your child with choices: Children should be interested in the book you are reading. Provide them with a choice of two books or allow them to choose a book from wherever you store their books. Remember that a kiddo doesn’t have to be verbal to make a choice. If your child is not yet talking, they can make a choice by shifting their eye gaze, reaching, pointing, or grabbing one of the books.
Refrain from asking questions: Remember that reading should be fun and interactive. It shouldn’t be a test of your child’s ability to identify objects (e.g., “Where’s the bunny?”) or label an item or action (e.g., “What’s this?”, “What’s the boy doing?”). When you catch yourself asking a question, simply model language that answers your question.
“What’s this?” —> “Look at the cow! Moo!”
“What’s he doing?” —> “He’s eating. Yummy apple.”
Follow your child’s lead: Allow your child to lead the way as you read together. You can let them hold the book, turn the pages, and set the pace. If they appear to be particularly interested in a page, spend extra time talking about that part of the story. If they start to lose interest, take the cue and move more quickly through the rest of the book.
Eliminate distractions: Limit the number of toys available in your child’s surrounding environment as you read with them. With fewer distracting items within reach or sight, your child will be more engaged in the book. Think about how much more focused you are on an activity when your phone isn’t readily available.
Don’t feel obligated to read every word: Instead of reading the book word for word, simply talk about what’s happening in the book. Point to the pictures and talk about what you see. Describe the actions and label the objects. Model playful exclamations (e.g., “Uh oh,” “Woah!”), single words (e.g., “Look,” “Eat”), and simple phrases (e.g., “There goes the bus,” “The bird flies”).
Slow down: Reading shouldn’t be a race! When you slow down as you read with your child, you provide them with time to process what you are saying, explore the book, imitate what you modeled, and initiate spontaneous communication.
Narrate your child’s nonverbal communication attempts: If your child is not yet talking, they may be interacting with the book using nonverbal communication (e.g., pointing, initiating joint attention, directing facial expressions). If your child points to a picture, label the object or action they are pointing to. If they shift their eye gaze between you and a page in the book (i.e., joint attention), acknowledge this form of communication and model a simple phrase (e.g., “I see that too! It’s an [object]!”).
Incorporate pauses before filling in predictable lines: Predictable line stories are books that have a repeated line throughout the book that slightly varies from page to page. Think about Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? When reading this book, “I see an [animal] looking at me,” is repeated on every page. Predictable line stories are a great way to provide your child with an opportunity to fill in the final word of a phrase they are familiar with. As you read these stories, slow down and pause before saying the final word in a verse. Wait a few seconds to see if your child fills it in with a smile, vocalization, gesture, or word approximation.
Remember, reading doesn’t have to be rigid or rule oriented. Focus on enjoying the book with your child and providing them with a language-rich activity.
What’s your favorite book to read with your toddler or preschooler?