Reading books is a great way to promote language skills in young children. You can never have too many books or read too much. Here are some simple book sharing tips and ways to capitalize on language learning when reading books with young children.
Promote conversational turn-taking. Sit face to face with your child, holding the book below your chin. When you sit face to face you can read your child’s cues and find out what interests them about the book.
Choose books with limited words and bright pictures. A great way to choose books is by the number of sentences on a page. If your child is 3, choose a book with no more than three sentences per page.
Choose repetitive and rhythmic books. Rhyming and repetitive books will hold your child’s attention and make it easier for them to remember the important words.
Practice Speech Sounds/Phonemic Awareness. Book sharing helps promote your child's ability to identify letters and make sound associations. It’s also a great way to practice sounds your child may be working on in speech therapy.
Look for wordless books. Wordless books are a great tool for all ages. Wordless books help to increase vocabulary, work on predicting and inferencing skills, introduce story structure, promote creativity, and encourage a higher level of thinking.
Follow your child's lead. Allow your child to hold the book and let them turn the pages. Remember, you don’t need to read the words on the page. Label the pictures with your child or expand on what they say.
Most importantly, have fun!
Book Suggestions
Carl the Dog series by Alexandra Day
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rothman
Chalk by Bill Thomson
Trains by Byron Barton
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
Gerald and Piggie series by Mo Willems
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton
