Reading to children of all ages is very important; however reading to infants and toddlers sets the foundation for independent reading later. It builds emergent literacy skills, is one of the best exposures of language and can possibly prevent reading problems in elementary school. When you read to these littles they make big leaps in language develop as they learn speech patterns, vocabulary and also synapses connect between their neurons. Experts recommend reading to toddlers as often as possible. At the very least strive for one reading time per day. Anytime is a good time to read to your little, however it’s good to choose regular times for instance before naps and bedtime. This helps children learn to sit with a book and relax.
When reading to your child, always read the title and author, do a picture walk, track with your fingers and read expressively. A picture walk is previewing the pictures in a storybook to familiarize the child with the story prior to introducing the text. It prepares a child for reading the story and teaches the child visual cues as a reading strategy. At this age you are basically going to describe what’s happening in the pictures.
A picture walk is previewing the pictures in a storybook to familiarize the child with the story prior to introducing the text. It prepares a child for reading the story and teaches the child visual cues as a reading strategy. At this age you are basically going to describe what’s happening in the pictures.
Track with your fingers, sliding them beneath the text as you read as this models reading directionality and also helps them match spoken word with print.
Read fluently to model how proficient reading sounds. Fluency refers to the speed and rate at which you read, accuracy and expression used while reading. So be sure to vary voice inflections as you read. Specifically your tone should slightly go down at periods; rise at question marks and your voice should reflect excitement at exclamation marks.
Practice incorporating picture walks, finger tracking, and expression into your read aloud routine and when you become more comfortable with this, add another component. Try asking your toddler open-ended questions about the pictures as you read. Examples: "Why do you think the boy is yawning? Why do you think he's sitting on his bed? What do you think will happen next?"
Children love to explore books especially ones that have been read to them, so leave the books available on shelves, in baskets, and in the car while traveling. If you are concerned about pages being ripped, board or cloth books are particularly great for toddlers and infants.
Don’t feel discouraged if you notice your infant or toddler is moving around as you are reading, littles love to move around and are very busy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t listening. I assure you their attention spans will get longer soon. Again, don’t forget to read as often as possible. Remember to schedule one reading session a day, describe the pictures before you read the book, track with your fingers and read expressively using characters and punctuation as cues.
Action: As a part of your daily routine, plan to read to your child for 30 minutes per day.
Mobile Community Engagement: How did this go? On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate your consistency? If you rate yourself a 3 or above, what supports did you put in place that helped you be successful? If you rated yourself a 3 or below, what were the obstacles that made it challenging for you? What might you do different to be more successful with this next week? Click on the orange text to record your answer.
A picture walk is previewing the pictures in a storybook to familiarize the child with the story prior to introducing the text. It prepares a child for reading the story and teaches the child visual cues as a reading strategy. At this age you are basically going to describe what’s happening in the pictures.
Track with your fingers, sliding them beneath the text as you read as this models reading directionality and also helps them match spoken word with print.
Read fluently to model how proficient reading sounds. Fluency refers to the speed and rate at which you read, accuracy and expression used while reading. So be sure to vary voice inflections as you read. Specifically your tone should slightly go down at periods; rise at question marks and your voice should reflect excitement at exclamation marks.
Practice incorporating picture walks, finger tracking, and expression into your read aloud routine and when you become more comfortable with this, add another component. Try asking your toddler open-ended questions about the pictures as you read. Examples: "Why do you think the boy is yawning? Why do you think he's sitting on his bed? What do you think will happen next?"
Children love to explore books especially ones that have been read to them, so leave the books available on shelves, in baskets, and in the car while traveling. If you are concerned about pages being ripped, board or cloth books are particularly great for toddlers and infants.
Don’t feel discouraged if you notice your infant or toddler is moving around as you are reading, littles love to move around and are very busy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t listening. I assure you their attention spans will get longer soon. Again, don’t forget to read as often as possible. Remember to schedule one reading session a day, describe the pictures before you read the book, track with your fingers and read expressively using characters and punctuation as cues.
Action: As a part of your daily routine, plan to read to your child for 30 minutes per day.
Mobile Community Engagement: How did this go? On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate your consistency? If you rate yourself a 3 or above, what supports did you put in place that helped you be successful? If you rated yourself a 3 or below, what were the obstacles that made it challenging for you? What might you do different to be more successful with this next week? Click on the orange text to record your answer.