As you may have gathered, I am a HUGE believer in reading to your child. I have read to my children pretty much every day since they were both born. My son, T, is a super high-energy toddler, but he LOVES story time and has great stamina for it. Here are some things that I do every time I read to my kids.
- Consistency– we read every night- right after bath time and right before bed time.
- We sit in a comfy place. (It used to always be our recliner, but I recently just added pillows to T’s toddler bed and I read there now to better fit T, K, and I.)
- I read the title, author, illustrator, and title pages (concepts they will learn in kindergarten but might as well know now).
- I point to every word I read (this will be a MAJOR help when it comes to teaching my children how to read, and will make it likely that they will learn to read earlier than their peers.)
- Wait time– I pause for a moment after each page that I read so my kids can look at the pictures. This not only helps with their comprehension of the story, but it makes it more enjoyable for them as well. (Side note- wait time can be really difficult for me sometimes. When this happens, I just count to 10 in my head before turning the page.)
- We talk about the book– typically this is for a first few times that we have read the book. This helps with understanding, teaching concepts and lessons seen in the book, and helps my kids make connections between the stories and themselves that will, I hope, help them gain a love of reading.
Happy Reading!
Teacher Mom 