Help your preschool child enjoy stories and build vocabulary—research shows that children learn more from books when they are actively involved in the story. By making reading fun, you encourage your child’s participation and build their vocabulary.
When you read to your child, point to pictures in the book and ask questions like “What’s this?” or “Do you know what this is called?” Don’t do this on every page of the story. It will be too distracting for your child; reading the story won’t be fun.
When you and your child read together, ask questions. Praise and encourage your child when they respond with the correct answer – “That’s right” or “ Good job” or “You really know about that”.
If your child shows an interest in a picture in a book, either by pointing or talking, follow up by asking questions or talking about the picture together. For example, ask questions like “What color is that?”, “What do we use it for?”, “What is the person doing?”.
Reread your child’s favorite stories to build their describing skills. Encourage them to “tell” you a story.
Reading is the foundation of all school learning. Research shows that a child who enjoys reading will be more successful in school.
Entering kindergarten, your child will be expected to have at least some print motivation. This means your child enjoys being read to, plays with books, pretends to write and asks to be read to.
Read to your child every day—even if sometimes it is only for a few minutes. STOP when your child is no longer having fun or is not interested in the story.
Let your child see that you enjoy reading. Your child values what they see you value. Have books, magazines, and/or newspapers in your home and use them.
Let your child choose stories you will read together. Learning is “me” centered.
Encourage your child to “tell” you a story. You may want to write it down for your child and have them make pictures to go with their story.
Visit the library—it’s never too early!
Begin reading books to your baby at birth. Be sure to pick a time you are both in a good mood—reading should build pleasurable brain connections and feelings. Use bright, colorful cardboard or soft books with pictures to interest your child.
Hold and cuddle your baby while reading books. This bonding with your child builds important emotional limbic connections that actually encourage your child to enjoy reading and want to become a reader.
Reading the same book over and over builds brain connections for reading skills by helping your child begin to recognize that the symbols on the page are letters, and that letters make words.
Let your child handle, touch, play with, and smell books (babies may even chew them). Being surrounded by books at home helps children learn books are an important part of their world.
Help your preschool child learn to communicate and build vocabulary. Can your child describe to you what happened at a recent birthday party or during playtime with a friend? Entering kindergarten, your child will be expected to understand and tell stories and to describe things and events.
Encourage your child to tell you about things they have done. Begin with things that have an order or sequence, like getting dressed, how they built something with their toys, or getting ready for bed.
Ask questions. Ask questions that encourage your child to add descriptive words as they tell you about things. For example, “What was the color of the first thing you chose to put on?”, “Did you want to make your building tall or short?”, or “You told me about reading a story before bed. Did you think it was funny or silly?(happy, scary, exciting, etc.)”
Read books with your child every day. Even a few minutes a day are important. Books are fun and help build brain connections that help your child understand that stories have structure, meaning and order. Stories help build your child’s vocabulary.
Encourage your child to tell you stories. Telling stories builds imagination and creativity. Sometimes you might write the story down, then help your child make a book and/or have them draw pictures to illustrate their story.
Talking helps baby learn to communicate and builds vocabulary. Learning to communicate with others, including knowing the names of things, is an essential skill that begins developing at birth. By 12–18 months, most children begin to talk and most 2-year-olds have vocabularies of 300–500 words.
Encourage your baby’s communication by babbling or talking back when your baby begins to make noises. Your child is learning that noise can get a response. Baby will want to communicate with you. Your response will help build brain connections to develop speech.
Talk to your child. Describe what your baby/toddler is seeing or doing and describe what you are doing (“Now mommy’s putting your arm in your blue shirt”, “Daddy is driving us to the store in our red car. There are lots of other cars and trucks on the road.”). Show your child things and talk about them. Use simple, clear speech.
Rereading favorite stories helps your child build vocabulary, recognize letters and words, and understand that stories have meaning.
It is normal for your child to want to read their favorite stories over and over. Learning happens from pleasurable experiences—reading a favorite story builds learning through repeating an enjoyable experience.
To increase the fun and your child’s development of school readiness skills as you reread their favorite stories, point out words in the story as you reread the book. Your child will learn about words and build vocabulary. It is not just memorization.
When you read to your child, read the book in a tone that conveys its meaning. For example, if the book is funny or silly, read it in a silly voice. If there is action, read it loudly and softly or quickly, then slowly. Your child will learn that stories have meaning and structure.
When you read together, let your child hold the book and encourage them to point to letters or words as they begin to recognize them.
Read books with your child which are appropriate for their age and are of interest to them. Some children will enjoy nonfiction or “true life” books about things like trucks, dinosaurs, or animals instead of stories.
Attend library storytimes and choose books to share with your child at home. This is a fun way to encourage your child to love books and reading.
