Reading with your child is one of the most powerful ways to support their language development. The best part? It doesn’t have to feel like a chore! With a few simple strategies, story time can become a rich, language-building experience that helps your child strengthen their vocabulary, comprehension, and communication skills.
Why Reading Together Matters
When you read books with your child, you’re doing much more than sharing a story; you’re helping them develop the foundations for strong language and literacy skills. Through stories, children are exposed to new words, sentence structures, and ideas that they might not encounter in everyday conversation.
Regular reading supports your child’s speech and language development by helping them:
- Expand their vocabulary by hearing and discussing new words in context
- Develop comprehension skills as they make sense of stories
- Build emotional and social understanding by exploring how characters think and feel
Reading daily, even for a few minutes, can make a huge difference in how children understand and use language.
1. Make Reading Interactive
Instead of simply reading the words on the page, turn story time into a conversation. Pause and ask questions such as:
- “What do you think will happen next?”
- “How do you think she feels right now?”
- “Where do you think they’re going?”
These open-ended questions encourage your child to think, reason, and use their language skills to express ideas.
You can also comment on what’s happening in the pictures! For example:
“The dog looks wet! I think it’s been raining.”
This helps your child learn how to describe and interpret visual information, an essential part of comprehension.
2. Talk About New Words
Books are full of rich vocabulary that children may not hear in day-to-day conversation. When you come across a new word, take a moment to explain it in simple terms and connect it to something familiar.
For example:
“Enormous means really, really big, like that elephant we saw at the zoo!”
Revisit new words later in the day (“Wow, that’s an enormous sandwich!”) to reinforce understanding and help your child use new vocabulary naturally.
3. Follow Your Child’s Lead
If your child wants to skip pages, focus on one picture, or relate the story to their own experiences: go with it! These moments of curiosity and connection are where language learning truly flourishes.
When children feel engaged and in control, they’re more likely to ask questions, make observations, and share ideas, all of which strengthen expressive language skills.
4. Use Expression and Enthusiasm
Your tone, facial expressions, and gestures bring a story to life. Use different voices for characters, change your tone to match the mood, and show excitement or surprise.
Expressive reading keeps your child’s attention and models the rhythm, tone, and emotion of natural speech.
5. Read the Same Book Again (and Again!)
Repetition might seem dull to adults, but it’s incredibly beneficial for kids. Each time you revisit a favourite book, your child has another opportunity to understand new words, anticipate what comes next, and retell parts of the story.
You can encourage participation by inviting them to finish sentences or fill in familiar phrases. They could even make up their own picture descriptions or alternative endings!
6. Connect the Story to Real Life
Help your child make connections between the story and their everyday experiences. For example:
- After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, go on a nature walk to look for bugs.
- After a story about sharing, talk about times your child shared toys with a friend.
These connections make stories more meaningful and help children see how language and learning fit into their world.
7. Keep It Fun and Pressure-Free
The goal isn’t perfection, it’s connection. Choose books that match your child’s interests, whether it’s dinosaurs, princesses, or trucks, and keep reading sessions short, positive, and engaging.
Even five minutes a day of interactive reading can make a big difference when it’s done consistently and with enthusiasm.
Conclusion
Reading with your child is one of the simplest and most enjoyable ways to support their speech and language development. By turning story time into a conversation, explaining new words, and following your child’s lead, you’re helping them become a confident communicator and lifelong learner.
Contact me today to learn more about how speech therapy can support your child’s language development and love of reading.