Sophie is two years old, and she is learning 2-4 new words a day. Sophie’s favorite word as a 2-year-old might be “no” but you never hear her say “no” when her dad scoops her up into his lap along with her favorite book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, for reading time.
These moments cuddled together sharing Chicka Chicka Boom Boom are not only important to Sophie’s language development; they are helping to build her strong heart and family.
Like many parents, reading to Sophie didn’t always come naturally to her dad. But when Sophie’s Reach Out and Read trained provider explained the importance of spending this time together, he gave it a shot. Now he is a reading time pro and is so thankful he followed the trusted advice of Sophie’s pediatrician!
Here are 5 of our favorite reading aloud tips to make story time special:
- Use different voices to engage your child in the setting of the book.
- Ask your child questions about the story to grow their curiosity and memory.
- Encourage involvement when reading aloud by inviting your child to turn pages when it’s time.
- Repeat the story – children love to hear the same story again and again, it helps them learn and it’s a sign they are connecting with the book.
- Lastly, let your child choose what to read. It may be the same story on repeat, but it’s a wonderful sign they are engaged, and a pleasure connection is being made between the child and the book.