Read to Baby

Here are 10 tips on how to get your child involved when sharing a book together. When running through this list, do consider the age of your child and his/her capabilities.

  1. If it’s a book that you have never read before, introduce the cover page and book title then have them guess what the book might be about.
  2. Ask them to identify where the story begins. We may think it is common knowledge to know which is the front / back of the book, where is the first page, where do the words start on a page etc… but very young children have to be taught these things.
  3. Run your fingers under the words as you read. This will help them make the connection that the print in the book is important i.e. the words tell the story and mommy/daddy is not just making up the words. It also shows them that reading goes from left - right.
  4. Have them turn the pages for you. BabyD is now 10 months and he can turn the pages of his board books (with a little help of course). So, this is something you can do even if they are very young.
  5. Talk about the illustrations in the book. Link them to words on the page. This way they learn that pictures prompt the words and the story.
  6. Elaborate on the story to increase their understanding. Connect the story and the characters to their own life. For example, “Do you remember when you fell down, like the little boy in this story?”
  7. Encourage them to make predictions. Before you turn the page, have them guess what might happen. Children love suspense.
  8. If it’s a book that you have read many times, have them retell the story to you. It’s okay if they can’t read yet. Encourage them to use the pictures in the book as a guide.
  9. Leave out keywords for them to fill in. Children will usually memorize familiar stories.
  10. Ask them to find a certain word on the page. It could be like the “I spy…” game. Children just learning the sounds of the alphabets could be prompted to find a word that begins with a particular sound. For example, “I spy with my little eye a word that begins with /c/”.