Reading is FUNdamental!
Did you know reading to your child at a young age has a significant impact on their cognition (e.g. attention, memory), social/emotional, language and literacy skills development? Research completed from the University of Melbourne revealed that children’s later literacy skills are correlated to reading with children at a young age.
How Can I Make Reading to My Young Child Fun and Enjoyable?
Interactive Books
Interactive books require a child to participate or a book that can be manipulated (e.g. Lift the flap books, touch and feel, musical and sounds books). These books are a great way to promote engagement and build foundational literacy skills. They are also great for toddlers, children with limited attention, or for those that are not showing complete interest in books yet.
Touch and feel books are great for toddlers, as they can explore different textures (rough, soft, smooth, etc.). The Usborne book called “All Better” is another great example that lets your child manipulate and interact with the book. It comes with five band aids, which the child must place on each animal’s wound.
Interactive books with repetitive words/phrases, rhymes, and that contain predictable text are also great books to read during a child’s early childhood years. The books “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” and “Pete the Cat” are great examples of books that demonstrate repetition throughout the text.
Animation
Change the tone and intonation of your voice and make sounds effects! This will keep your child engaged and will also help them identify the emotions of each character (e.g. sad, happy).
Picture Books
Picture books are a fun way to expose children to new vocabulary, story structure, and visual literacy skills. Popular picture books include: “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” and “The Cat in the Hat.”
Want to Know More?
The speech-language pathologist team at Eyas Landing would love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have regarding your child’s speech and language development and early literacy skills. Eyas Landing provides relationship-based therapy that is individualized to meet your child’s and family’s needs.
Eyas Landing is a therapy clinic with a mission to provide evidence-based and family-centered therapy services for children, adolescents, and their families. The primary goal is to deliver relationship-based interventions within the most natural environments and to empower families to reach their full potential. To achieve this goal, our highly educated, compassionate staff dedicates time and expertise to create experiences that maximize therapeutic outcomes. The strength, determination, and perseverance of our clients are evident as they succeed in therapy, and ultimately in their daily lives.
Eyas Landing offers a wide range of comprehensive services including Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, ABA Therapy, Social Work, Family Therapy, and Neuropsych testing. Services are provided throughout the Chicagoland area via Telehealth, In-Home, and in our state of the art clinic.
Want to learn more or you have a specific question? Feel free to connect with us here!
