It’s the last day of May which means kids are home for summer! More time with our little ones means more time for fun, play, books, and language. For the month of June, we will be talking all about books! Using books is one of my favorite ways (and most other speech-language pathologist’s favorite ways) to enhance language skills.
Did you know there’s a direct correlation to the number of books toddlers are read and their reading skills in elementary school? Children who are read to at least three times a week by a family member are almost twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading compared to children who are read to less than 3 times a week.
Denton, Kristen and Gerry West, Children’s Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Kindergarten and First Grade (PDF file), U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Washington, DC, 2002.
By the age of 2, children who are read to regularly display greater language comprehension, larger vocabularies, and higher cognitive skills than their peers.
Raikes, H., Pan, B.A., Luze, G.J., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S.,Brooks-Gunn, J., Constantine,J., Tarullo, L.B., Raikes, H.A., Rodriguez, E. (2006). “Mother-child book reading in low-income families: Correlates and outcomes during the first three years of life.” Child Development, 77(4).
The data goes on and on, but it’s clear; there are so many benefits to reading to children. Today, I want to give you 10 tips on how to maximize your story time:
1. Give your child your full attention while reading.
2. Set up a regular time to read- daily. I typically suggest before naptime or bedtime. Stories are a great way to prepare your child for rest.
3. Fill a small basket with books that your child has access to. Children will be more engaged, if they get to choose the story.
4. More is not always better. Hearing the same story over and over is great for language growth. I typically pick one story a month to use in my therapy sessions. However, I only see my clients 1x a week, so you might want to do one story a week. Another option is to pick 4-5 stories and only read those books throughout the month. Children love hearing the same story. You will get tired of reading it, before your child gets tired of hearing it.
5. Sit face to face with your child so they can see your mouth while you read.
6. Don’t read word for word. Simplify the story to be on your child’s language level.
7. There is no need to read cover to cover. Improvise and talk about the pictures instead.
8. Model the correct way to hold a book and turn the pages.
9. Allow your child to hold the book themselves. Don’t stress if they are turning pages out of order.
10. Pick books that are predictable, have simple pictures, or are interactive such as touch and feel books.
Check back here throughout the month to discover early literacy milestones, my favorite books for toddlers and preschoolers and plenty more ideas on using books to enhance speech and language skills!
Talk soon, Kim
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