Reading with a young child is not only an opportunity to help build their language and literacy skills, but also a time for caregivers to bond with their child.
Sesame Workshop has shared some tips for shared reading with children from birth to age 3.
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Sesame Workshops’s tips include everything from creating a reading ritual and building good reading habits in children to letting children lead the way during reading time.
Caregivers should create a reading ritual to help children feel safe and connected. This includes:
- Choosing a consistent reading time – such as every night before bed – so reading together brings comfort and connection.
- Choosing a special reading spot, which can be as simple as a dedicated space for reading but can also include such items as pillows or stuffed animals.
To build good reading habits, caregivers should let children see them read and interact with books the way good readers do. Tips include:
- Showing a child how to interact with books and emphasizing the way you turn each page, run your finger under the words as you read, and notice fun details in the picture.
- Showing how you make reading fun by reading with funny voices and using gestures to mimic or act out what characters are doing.
- When you read familiar books, invite your child to say the words that they know along with you.
- Choosing books that can help your child build the reading skills they’ll need later. Rhyming books help children to hear the sounds in words, while books with vibrant, detailed pictures help them learn to pause and notice what’s in a book.
To allow a child to lead the way during reading together, caregivers should honor their child’s unique reading preferences and interests. Some tips include:
- When it’s reading time, provide lots of book options and let your child grab for an old favorite or one that catches their eye.
- Give your child time to explore the pictures on each page and notice the details that interest them. Name and describe those details – and make sure to share in their excitement.
- Point out how parts of the book are like what they’ve seen and experienced. Are there characters that remind you of people you know? Or have they ever been in the same situation or felt the same feelings as the characters? Talk to your child about these connections.
To learn more, read Sesame Workshop’s Tips for Shared Reading with Children Birth to Three.
