The picture above of Immy ‘reading’ would be a common sight for parents of toddlers and preschoolers who live in book-rich homes.
This reading-like behaviour is a very important step in learning to read. Though it looks like the child is playing at reading, these experiences develop and reinforce important reading concepts, including;
- The ability to turn the pages in sequence, from the front of the book to the end
- Remembering and communicating the meaning of the story in their own words
- Recognition that the story remains constant each time it is read
- Using the picture as a prompt, a context for what the story is about
- Familiarity with the ‘language’ of books which differs from everyday conversational language
- Understanding that the print contains the story, not the pictures
- That reading books is a pleasurable past time
Parents can support this development by;
1. Reading with their children each day.
2. Continuing to introduce new books on an ongoing basis.
3. Choosing books with engaging stories, great pictures and fun language (membership of a local library is a wonderful way to keep refreshing your book collection).
4. Selecting books that are a little longer and more complex as the child’s attention span increases.
5. Encouraging their child to ‘read’ or retell familiar stories to them.
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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
And about a million more!
I also bought a new book for my little girl - 'Josephine Wants to Dance' by Jackie French. It is SO adorable!
- Guess How Much I Love You
- Pamela Allen's books, especially Bertie and the Bear, Cuthbert's Babies, and Daisy Allsorts
- Sandra Boynton's marvellous boardbooks, especially Moo Baa La La La and Doggies
- Goodnight Moon
There were lots more but these were stand-out favourites.
My 1-year-old loves her little "Who is Hiding" flap books, her Pooh Bear board books, her Peter Rabbit cloth books, and like her sisters, Goodnight Moon. She also loves anything that makes a noise - we have a number of books with buttons to push etc and Miss C adores them.
Ditto Charlie and Lola books
Also classics like Who Sank the Boat, We're Going on a Bear Hunt and pretty much anything by Mem Fox and Eric Carle
She is also a big fan of "Maisy's Big Flap Book" and "Where is Panda?", also from the Maisy series (both by Lucy Cousins).
She adores "On Your Potty" (Virginia Miller) which she calls the "Nah Nah" book. I think it's helping with her toilet training too, but not sure.
A few weeks ago "It's Mine" was a big hit. She loved repeating the phrase loudly each time a new animal was revealed. Right now she is understanding much more about the clues in each page. I love the way books generate new layers of meaning for her every few weeks at this stage.