Books are one of the most versatile, universal, powerful tools one can use with a child. Amanda Wittman, MS, CCC-SLP is one of our Lead Speech-Language Pathologists, and she is sharing some of her insightful tips for using books as a way to expand language!
Every parent knows that books can be an incredible resource for their child-and they are already in your home! Books are wonderful for connecting with your child and can enhance early literacy skills. Additionally, books can prime language growth and expansion in your child. Try utilizing the following tips and tricks when reading with your child to increase opportunities for your child to communicate:
- Go on a “Picture Walk”-Children’s books are rich with beautiful illustrations. Use the pictures to point out various objects or scenes that you see to your child. Early childhood educators even recommend going on a “picture walk”: instead of reading the written words on the page to your child, take turns describing what you see on each page. This can help your child take ownership of how they interact with the book and help them to feel like they are really “reading” with you!
- Cultivate Connection-Does your child like to hear every single word on every single page? Does your child enjoy pointing to details on each page to hear you name the items? Or does your child simply like to turn the pages of a book? Follow your child’s lead! Reading together does not have to look like a structured “story time”-enjoying a book in the same way that your child is enjoying the book increases the engagement between you and your child. Increasing engagement increases connectivity-which increases opportunities to communicate!
- Practice Phonological Awareness Skills-Do you notice that many children’s books include rhyming prose and alliteration? This is done for a reason! Highlighting when words sound the same at the end (such as in Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, The Pout Pout Fish, Madeline, or Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) helps your child “tune in” to these early phonological awareness skills.
- Pause To Let Your Child Fill in the Blank-Have you heard about the power of using “wait time” to increase opportunities for your child to communicate? The same tool can be used when reading books! If you are reading a favorite book to your child, you can begin to pause in the middle of a sentence and wait for your child to “fill in the blank”. Children love to help when reading and will happily finish their parent’s sentence for them, especially during a silly read aloud, such as “A told B, and B told C, I’ll meet you at the top of the….” COCONUT TREE!
- Make Predictions-As you read books together, take a moment to ask your child what they think may happen next. Your child will benefit from hearing you model and think aloud as you make predictions, too! For example, while reading The Little Blue Truck, you could say, “All the animals are stuck…but here comes toad to help push! I think they will get out of the mud. What do you think?”
- Expand Social Emotional Learning-Taking note of how a character is feeling and why they are feeling a certain way can increase your child’s social emotional awareness and ability to empathize. Ask your child to make inferences as to how a character may be feeling, such as, “The pout pout fish was sad before. Now his lips are smiling and his eyes are bright. How is he feeling now?” Help your child make connections by asking, “Why is he happy? Because his friend was kind to him! I feel better when I see my friends, too.”
There are a million and one ways to use books to increase interaction and language expression with your child. During your next story time with your little one, try one or more of these tricks!
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