Read, Read, Read!
I am writing this today as a Speech Language Pathologist, but also a mom. Books have been part of my children’s bedtime routine since they were born. There are some books that my husband and I have read to them SO much, we have them memorized and could recite them in our sleep! This has become a very special time with our children. Not only is it a time to bond and share experiences with your children, they are also learning so much! Books are a great way to build and expand on a child’s language skills.
There are so many benefits to reading with your child. These include:
- Joint attention (you are both paying attention to the same thing at the same time)
- Bonding time, a special time with just you and your child doing something together (cuddle up in your favorite chair with a blanket and make some memories)
- Building attention span and listening skills
- Expanding vocabulary skills (learning new words)
- Build their imagination (A book can take you anywhere you want to go)
There are so many ways to target speech/language development when you and your child sit down together to read:
- Following simple directions such as “turn the page” , “point to the ball” and “bring me the book”
- Building imitation skills such as animal sounds and vehicle sounds when you see those pictures in the book
- Answering questions such as What and Where questions “Where is the dog?” and “What does a cat say?”
- Labeling pictures in books (cat, dog, ball, shoe) and labeling actions (running, eating, sleeping, drinking)
Below are some great videos I have found on YouTube that give many more examples of ways to use books to help your child learn and grow.