Reading to young children can be a wonderful experience for you and your child(ren). You bond, inspiring children to engage their imagination and build their love for reading. When we read to young children, we build a foundation for future learning and success. Research continues to emphasize that reading to young children actually becomes the primary indicator of young children’s language and literacy development. Read the following storytelling tips for reading aloud to young children.

How do we ensure that we effectively build the foundation for future success for young children? There are some important approaches to reading to young children that we must embrace and some definite ‘no-nos’ that we want to steer away from.

The Do’s: Storytelling Tips for Reading Aloud to Young Children

When choosing books to read to young children, be intentional about the type of books you read.

1. Ensure that the books are developmentally appropriate for the child(ren) age.
2. Read the same book several times a day and throughout the week. Repetition builds fluency in vocabulary and concept development.
3. Make reading a book to children in a large group and individually a part of your daily schedule.
4. Become a part of the book you are reading; for example, if a cow goes “MOO,” it’s okay for you to moo instead of just reading the word.
5. Engage the child in the book you read by using props and asking questions.

Here are some storytelling tips for reading aloud to young children that can help.

Tips for Reading to Infants

Infants: Reading to babies is a wonderful shared activity. It benefits both you and the baby. Reading aloud is critical to your baby’s brain development. It teaches about communication, introduces new words and concepts, and helps build memory. Reading aloud to babies is a great way to introduce them to the world around them.

When you read to your baby:

• Express the emotions and sounds in your voice. 
• Encourage your baby to look, point, touch, taste, and engage in the book.
• Encourage your baby to copy the sounds, recognize pictures, and learn new words.

Tips for Reading to Toddlers

Toddlers: Toddlers are active; as they are building their cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills, they are moving. Every day is full of new experiences and opportunities. When we read to toddlers, we must embrace this age with intention.

When reading to your toddlers:

• Don’t expect your toddlers to sit still for a book.
• Recite rhymes, sing songs, and make mistakes!
• Pause and let the toddlers finish a phrase or change a refrain.
• Choose books that interest them and allow them to engage.
• Keep your reading time short and simple but often.
• Encourage play while reading, including language and art skills.
• Choose books that help their social, emotional, and language development.
• Extend the story through their play. Use felt stories, finger puppets, or other props to allow the toddlers to play through the story.

Tips for Reading to Preschoolers

Preschoolers: Preschoolers are full of questions. You may hear the word “why” hundreds of times a day, so when we think about reading to them, we need to read often and re-iterate the story over and over again.

When reading to preschoolers:

• Read together every day. Read both in a large group and individually.
• Give everything a name. Add the story around your classroom or play space. Add story items to each of your centers to extend the story throughout the day and the play.
• Say how much you enjoy reading. Preschoolers love to model adults. The more we can share our delight with reading, the more engaged they become with reading.
• Read with fun in your voice. Be the characters; expressive language throughout your reading can expand the preschooler’s interest.
• Know when to stop. Pay attention to the responses of the preschoolers. When their interest changes, change your focus. Sometimes, we must get the wiggles out before sitting down with a book.
• Read it again and again. The more repetitive we can be with our story, the more likely the preschoolers will comprehend the book.
• Talk about writing, too. Ask preschoolers to write their own story to read. Then read it to a group of preschoolers.
• Point out print everywhere. Create a print rich environment. Add words to chairs, tables, cubbies, and all the rest.
• Explain the parts of a book to preschoolers; teach them the spine, front cover, back cover, author, and illustrator.

There are some definite DON’TS when it comes to reading to young children.

1. Don’t force the child(ren) to sit down and read; instead, invite them to join you by building their interest in the story you will read.
2. Don’t expect the child(ren) to know everything about the story. Make your expectations match the development of the child(ren).
3. Don’t just read the book; instead, become the narrator of the story. 

Experience Curriculum provides an excellent foundation of literature-based activities that can assist you in reading to children. Each day, you can engage children in your program to build lifelong lovers of literature. It all begins with you! So read, read often, expand the story through play, and be enthusiastic about the story.

READ Emergent Literacy and Young Children

REFERENCES

Reading Rockets. (2024). Launching young readers. https://www.readingrockets.org/ 

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