Young children have short attention spans, often making it challenging for them to focus during storytime. To make reading together more enjoyable and memorable, here are some tips you could try:
1) Let your child select the book
Even the youngest of children have preferences in books. Children are more likely to want to sit through a story that is of interest to them.
2) Create a comfortable reading environment
Find a comfortable and quiet environment where you and your child can sit and read without distractions.
3) Bring the characters to life
Read with enthusiasm and expression by bringing the characters to life with different voices, facial expressions, and gestures. Don’t be shy, the more dramatic the better!
4) Read aloud together
Encourage your child to participate in the reading by asking them to read certain parts of the story. One way is to take turns reading a page each. Sharing the story in this way will help you discover new things about each other and elicit dialogue.
5) Make it interactive
Ask questions along the way to help promote speech development and comprehension. Point out words and illustrations that might be new to them and talk about how the words are used and what they mean.
Ask questions that evoke emotion and reflective inquiry, such as, “What would you do in this situation? Why do you think the character behaved in that way? Have you ever encountered a similar situation? Who does the character remind you of? How does the character feel?”.
6) Discuss the story
After reading, look for creative ways to extend the learning of the book. Discuss the story with your child, asking questions about the characters, plot and themes. Another way to do this would be doing crafts based on the illustrations or theme of the story, listening to music that is related to the story, or even writing a sequel to the story together. Get creative!
7) Make a connection to the story
Help your child make connections between the story and their own life experiences. Linking the story to something that they can relate to creates a more vivid learning experience, especially for stories that discuss social development topics like friendship, moral values, and social skills.
8) Take pictures of your family reading
Children are visual learners, most love looking at photos, be it of themselves or their family members. Photos of your family reading together are not only sweet, they are also useful in illustrating the passage of time as he or she grows and how their tastes in books have evolved. The photos also help evoke a sense of familiarity and nostalgia which when associated positively with reading, makes reading more enjoyable and inviting.
By following these tips, you can make reading aloud to your child an enjoyable and engaging experience that will help develop their love for reading and improve their language and literacy skills. Josh & Cherie Books believes that it is never too early to start reading to your child. Build your child’s first library with a Josh & Cherie Book subscription, where we deliver a curated box of books to your child monthly. Let us help you nurture your child’s love of reading from young by making reading fun, consistent and affordable!
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