5 Tips for Book Reading and Favorite Fall Books for Speech and Language

Oct 21

Whenever parents ask what they can do with their children at home, one of my first suggestions is always to read books. I wanted to share some of the strategies parents can use while reading books (that go beyond the words on the page) at home with their children because there are so many possibilities! These tips are most applicable to picture books and can be used for children from toddler through elementary age.

Point out what you see on the page – After I read the words, I like to point out what I notice in the background or other things that might be on the page. “Oh look! I see a barn. The big cow is eating. The sky is so cloudy.”
Have your child “read” you the story – Encourage your child to tell the story by describing the pictures. If they are unsure, you can model this first. “There’s a blue truck driving down the road.” I like to say “Tell me what’s happening on this page” instead of asking direct questions.
Point to each word as you read it – Help reinforce the concept that words have meaning by pointing to each word as you say it.
Make predictions before you turn the page – Model making predictions about what might happen next in the story. You can say, “I think it’s going to start raining!” As your child gets comfortable with this concept, you can ask what they think is going to happen, “What do you think is going to happen next?” Praise your child for their guess and acknowledge that it is okay if their guess was incorrect.
Make connections with the story – Point out things in the story that your child can connect to. “You have a bunny just like that!” “We went to the pumpkin patch too!” Older children may make connections to other books they have read or information they already know.

We love incorporating books into our Little Lemons Virtual Preschool class! In each class, we read a thematic book and use these strategies. You can try your first class with us free!