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Reading Books Together is the Single Best Thing You Can Do to Support Language Skills Over Summer!!!
See below for some great tips on how to enrich reading time for speech-language development:
- Choose books that are age-appropriate and interesting to your child. Better yet, let your child choose which book to read.
- Point out the title and cover illustration as you get started. This provides your child context so he/she can build a mental schema for the contents of the book.
- Get into it. Get silly. Use the voices! Use props. Change your speed. Whisper. Turn pages dramatically. This will help to keep your child’s interest.
- Have your child “read” in whatever form works best. He/she can read the words, tell about the pictures, turn the pages, point to items in the book, or any other important job.
- Repeat/rephrase what you have read together or ask your child to. Predict what might happen next! Discuss why a character feels sad or acts a certain way.
- Follow up the book with a related activity. If you read about a birthday, make a cake. If you read about bugs and insects, try to spy some outside.
- Don’t be afraid to read the same books more than once – for some children, the repetition builds vocabulary and enhances learning and processing.
- Build reading into your routine. Reading books together right before bed can be calming. Plus, reading to delay bedtime is often a big hit with the kids 🙂 🙂
- If your child has trouble reading traditionally, perhaps due to difficulty with paying attention or sitting still or attempting to pull at the book – keep at it and accommodate as necessary. Start small, even with just a minute or two minutes of reading, and build from there. Show the pictures and assist your child to point. Use books that have flaps to open or sensory items to touch. Aim for engagement, not completing the book.
- Just read. The important thing is not reading the book cover to cover – the important thing is building literacy in a way that is enjoyable, exposing your child to books and words, and introducing reading as a part of life. You can do it, and guaranteed – the benefit to your child is worth it!
