Oh, the Language You’ll Grow!

There is something really special about sharing a book with your child, snuggling close, turning the pages together, and discovering a new favorite tradition. But shared book reading is more than a cozy step in their night routine; it is also a powerful opportunity to support your child’s language acquisition. As your child reads a book, they are expanding their ability to listen, understand, and express ideas. Some key benefits of shared reading include: 

Joint Attention:

Joint attention occurs when a child and another person focus on the same activity while being aware that they are sharing the experience. This can naturally happen through shared book reading. To promote joint attention, try labeling what the child is looking at, encourage pointing at different images on the pages, and provide opportunities for turn-taking. Think of joint attention as the foundation that vocabulary, comprehension, and social communication skills are built on! 

Vocabulary Expansion: 

Books are a perfect opportunity to expose your child to a new language. As you are reading, try labeling unfamiliar words or expanding on vocabulary your child is consistently using. When reading, your child may label various familiar objects to expand their vocabulary and try adding on to their words. For example: 

Child says: “Dog!” 

Caregiver responds: “Yes! It’s a big dog! The big dog is playing.” 

By expanding on a child’s comments, we are modeling new language, word combinations, and ultimately more ways for the child to engage in communication. 

Inferencing:

Inferencing is a great skill to target for your school-age child during a book reading activity. The skill of making inferences is foundational for critical thinking, problem solving, and language comprehension. To practice making inferences, try making predictions about the plot, discussing how characters may feel, and connecting elements of the book to their real-life events. This can be another fun way to increase your child's language skills and connect over a story! 

Shared book reading is so much more than simply reading the words on a page. It creates a unique opportunity for your child to connect with you, share attention, learn new vocabulary, and practice expressing their ideas. Whether you are pointing to a picture, adding to their phrases, or asking what might happen next, you are making a meaningful impact on your child's language. There is no need to look at every single picture or ask all the questions. What matters most is creating a warm environment where your child can feel connected and learn alongside you!