What Happens Tomorrow?

Here is a way to help your preschooler build on her comprehension skills  . . . and use her imagination.

After you and your child finish reading a story together, close the book, and ask, "What do you think happens next?" or "What happens the next day?"

This kind of thinking helps your child in a few ways. It encourages your child to use what she already knows about a character or a situation and run with it—to spin some educated guesses based on that information. That is also called making inferences, a skill she will use in school and in life. But for now, unburdened by finding right answers, she is simply stretching her imagination, and engaging in some storytelling of her own.

Get Festive: Read All About It

Before the holidays—whether it is Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa—pick up some books about the upcoming event. Read about the holiday with your preschooler. The experience will add to the excitement and anticipation for the celebration. Plus  your child will learn to appreciate the meaning of special days and maybe even understand the reasons behind the holiday. Reading about how different families celebrate holidays also gives you a chance to compare your family traditions with those of others. It can also be fun to learn about totally different holidays—ones you don’t observe. Find out about holidays that are celebrated around the world and open your child’s eyes to other cultures and traditions. Many libraries and bookstores have special displays as the holidays draw closer so it is easy to find books to enjoy.

Research It!

Have you noticed a topic or theme that your child is passionate about? It might be princesses or earth movers or dinosaurs. Feed that passion. Help your child explore the topic. You can search for information together online. But don't forget about books!

Start a resource “collection.” Go to the library or purchase books that are on this “topic.” 

You are helping your child to discover that reading can help him learn more about what he is interested in. Becoming an expert will make him feel proud of learning and also provide a purpose for your reading together.

If you elect to buy books, keep the books about that topic together on a shelf. This research project sets the stage for your child to notice different ways to approach a topic. One book might show adorable puppies in photographs, while another is a story about a dog, illustrated in soft pastels. Comparing the two books can help your preschooler notice how they are alike and different. 

Get Caught Reading

It sounds almost too simple to be true . . . but it is true for sure! Make sure that your young child sees you reading, and you will be sending an important message.

You can be reading a book, newspaper, magazine, electronic device, or files on a computer. You can be checking a train schedule, sports scores, or stock prices. You can be following a recipe or trying to decipher instructions for assembling a piece of furniture.

Whenever your preschooler sees you reading--anything--make it into a big deal. Point it out. Show her that you are reading for a purpose--to learn something, to get something done, or just because you love it.

You are your child's first teacher. Show her that reading is a skill you engage in, and find useful and pleasurable. Model being a reader. Don't be shy about it. Get caught reading!

Summer Reading

Are you planning to take a summer vacation? Be sure to pack some books for your preschooler. Not only will you most likely have time to kill in a car, train, bus, or airport . . . but you are bound to need some entertainment for rainy days or other slow times.

Think about packing some reliable favorites as well as some new surprises. A mix of familiar and novel books can be a winning combination.

If you are traveling to a new part of the country, plan  ahead and pick up some great reads that are set in that region--whether beach, farm, big city, mountains, or lakes.

Happy reading!

eBooks?

So . . . I am often asked: What about eBooks for preschoolers? Is that OK? 

I think they are great. My opinion is that if your child is engaged with words and pictures and a storyline, that is terrific.  Whether they are turning pages or swiping a finger the important thing is that they are reading or being read to.

However, that being said . . . the other very, very important ingredient to those early literacy experiences is the intimacy. It is the togetherness, the reading to each other, the shared laughter.  You want your young child to associate reading with closeness and warmth. So be sure to stick around. Don't just hand your child a device and assume she is self-sufficient. Share the book, maintain that closeness, read together.

Make Some Summer Memories

Summer is the ideal time for you and your preschooler to create a book about his summer activities, including  vacations, visits to parks and zoos, and other memorable family times. Plan now on the best way to create a lasting memory repository. Let him dictate to you and he can illustrate pages, or use photos and other souvenirs to recount special times. Do it the old-fashioned way or scan images and create a digital scrapbook.  

Most important ingredient? Read it together. In a few weeks it will be a sweet way to relive the memories of summer and will give your young child a refresher on what he might have forgotten. If he is starting at preschool, it is likely that when school opens one of the conversations will be about what children did over the summer. Having just recalled his own happy experiences,your preschooler may be inclined to share his memories with his teacher and classmates.