Reading with Your Preschooler: Six Easy Tips to Increase Language and Literacy

As parents, we’ve been told that it’s very important to read to your preschooler. There are some things you can do while reading that can increase your child’s verbal language skills and literacy knowledge. So, before you snuggle up with a good storybook, follow these tips to help your preschooler get the most out of reading time together.

Point to the print:

When reading, point to the words as you read them or use your fingers to track what you are reading. This helps children make a connection between spoken and written words.

Be silly:

While reading to your child, remember to exaggerate your enthusiasm and excitement for the book. If there are characters, you can even try out silly voices. This helps to keep a child's attention on the story.

Comment and wait:

Oftentimes children will respond better to a comment than a direct question. You could say, “Wow, I never knew that mommy ducks had so many babies at one time!” Give your child a moment to think about what you said and you may get some comments back that could lead to a conversation.

Ask open-ended questions:

You can ask open-ended questions like, “I wonder what happens to the duck after he goes home?” This can lead to a conversation with your child where you can introduce some new vocabulary and language.

Expand on what your child says:

If your child responds to a comment or question, or makes a comment, respond by repeating what they said and then expanding on it. For example, if your child says, “The duck goes to sleep,” then you could respond by saying, “Huh, so the duck goes to sleep. I think he might take a bath first though, he was so dirty!”

Go beyond the book:

After finishing the book, you could act out parts of the story or pretend to be a character. This will help your child retain concepts they learned in the book and connect those to his or her real life world.