How we read to children is as important as how often we read to them. Researchers have developed a method of reading to preschoolers called Dialogic Reading.
Children learn most from books when they are actively involved. Lots of times when we share a book with a preschooler, we read and the child listens. Which is perfectly fine, you need to do this part of the time. But in dialogic reading, the adult helps the child become the teller of the story. The adult becomes the listener, the questioner, the audience for the child.
Children do benefit when we read a book all the way through without stopping. It helps them understand the continuity of the story and enjoy the pleasing rhythms of language used well. Vocabulary is increased, Print Motivation and Awareness are enhanced, and Narrative Skills are reinforced.
But let’s look at dialogic reading, which is based on three main techniques:
- Ask "what" questions. Point to an item in a book and say, "What's this?" or "What's this called?" Let your child know his or her answer is correct by repeating it back, "Yes, that's a [chair, mirror]."
- After your child is comfortable answering "what" questions, begin asking "open-ended" questions. These are questions that cannot be answered yes or no. So you might say, “I wonder what’s going to happen next. What do you think? Let’s find out. Oh, the flea scared the cat! Now what? Where do you think the cat will do?”
- The third step is to expand what your child says. Keep the expansions short and simple. (“Yes, the cat jumped, he jumped on the bed.”) Make sure to build on your child's phrases just a little so that your child is able to imitate what you've said.
Other questions could be, "What else do you see?" "Tell me about…" or "What if..." "I wonder how…" or "How did that happen?" or "What do you think?" If a child doesn't know what to say about a picture, you may need to help by answering the question yourself, "I think he may be..." Always praise and encourage, and follow his interests.
It takes time to learn how to ask open-ended questions, but with practice and by following a child's lead, it gets much easier. Open-ended questions allow children to say whatever they're thinking which often leads to interesting conversations.
The key of course is to have fun! It works well to switch between asking questions and just plain reading. For example, read one page and then ask questions on the next page. And some books work better for Dialogic Reading. Take a look at Cows in the Kitchen by June Crebbin; Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann; Jump, Frog, Jump by Robert Kalan; Trucks by Anne Rockwell; or ask your children’s librarian for suggestions.
You can read more about Dialogic Reading here.
Dialogic reading works. On tests of language development children who have been read to dialogically are substantially ahead of children who have only been read to traditionally. Try it for yourself and see how much fun having a conversation about books can be!
