February is "Reading Month" at my daughter's preschool. They get stars for every book they "read" for the month and they get prizes at the end of the month when they have a special "Dr. Seuss" party. My daughter has decided she wants to get the most books on her list for her class. She is entertainingly competitive :)
In honor of reading month, here are some tips for reading to your young child:
1. If your child has a short attention span, try using your own words to describe what is going on in the book, rather than reading the text. Point to objects on the page to engage your child's interest. Early board books are "sing-songy" which also captivates their interest.
2. Be expressive. Adopt different voices for different characters. Children easily learn to imitate this when they are old enough to read for themselves.
3. Move your fingers around the page if there is movement going on in the story. Show them where the action is in the story.
4. Point out new objects so that your child hears new words and learns to associate them. When they are old enough, use "Show me the ..." to involve them.
5. With older children, ask them to tell you what THEY see in the story, ask things like "What is going on here?"
6. At 12-18 months, teach your child to turn pages. If they turn quickly (which often happens), revert to telling the story rather than reading the text.
7. I recently read this and it is so true: kids sometimes like reading time not for the books but for the bonding experience and cuddle time they get with their parents/caregivers. Just another way that reading to kids benefits us too :)
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