- Sing the words on the page. You can read a book that is a well-known song like Wheels on the Bus, or make up your own song to go with any story! Singing actually slows down language, which helps your son hear the smaller sounds that make up a word. Later in life this skill will help him sound out words. We call this phonological awareness.
- Use the words in a book to play with sound.
- Drag out the sounds in a word long and slow, like “ssssnnnaiaiailll” for “snail”.
- Break the sound apart, and give your child a minute to identify the word like this: sss (stop) nnn (stop) aiaiai (stop) lll (stop).
- Take out a sound and see if your child can guess what the word is: “I found a snai…”
Photo Credit: Susan Sternberg
- Ask your daughter to think of words with similar sounds or rhyming words.
- Make reading fun! Add props, act out scenes, do silly things. The point is children who enjoy being read to are much more likely to want to read and learn to read themselves.
- Keep books in a place your daughter can reach, like a low shelf or basket on the floor.
- Let your child explore the book freely. If your toddler picks up a book and turns the pages, let them. They may not be able to read the words on the page, but that doesn’t mean they won’t start babbling all the same to “read” along.
- Don’t freak out if your baby boy chews on his book. And if you’re really worried they’ll ruin the book, check out these fun Indestructibles books.
Want even more ideas? Check out these 45 Ways to Make Read Aloud Time the Best Part of Your Day. Our favorite? Magic reading glasses!
