Books

What the Science Tells Us

BUTTERFLY

Bb

Books are a terrific way to expose children to language. It is never too early for us to introduce our baby to books. Books with words (not just pictures) are helpful for introducing new words. Recent research shows that a child’s vocabulary at age three strongly suggests what their reading comprehension will be when they are nine or ten years of age.

Story books often have language that is different from the everyday ways we talk. They include more sophisticated vocabulary, complex sentences and language our child will need in the classroom. In addition, books expand and enrich our child’s world by connecting them to imaginary worlds and the real world beyond their experience. Books also enable our child to connect language to their real-life experiences.

If we read a book about a visit to the doctor, for instance, we can stop and talk about a similar thing we have done, and make connections between what’s in the book and our life. These types of conversations between an adult and a child have a powerful impact on the child’s brain development, and the more “conversation turns” a child has, the more they learn. Wordless books are another great resource. We can point to the pictures and ask our child to tell a story about them. That way, we are encouraging them to try using their developing language skills to talk about something new.

Reading together sets the stage for our child’s own emerging literacy skills.

We can do so much with books, and they can do so much for our child!

Some children aren’t interested in books at first, while others love them from the start. No matter where our child is, they can learn to love books. As parents, our job is to help foster a love of books, and here is why:

Extensive research indicates that our child can learn …

# New words (vocabulary) and new ideas # How to put together sentences # How to listen to stories # How to tell a story (using the narrative structure of a beginning, middle and end) # How actions lead to different consequences # How other people think and feel # How people respond in different situations # How to talk about feelings # How to use their imaginations # How to solve problems # How to be a good friend # How to tell the difference between right and wrong # How to speak beyond the here-and-now Not all books are “created equal.” This goes for traditional print books as well as e-books. Ideally, a book engages our child and turns their mind “on.”

The content of a good children’s book is relevant for them and it encourages meaningful interaction between us.

We can use a book in many ways and these will change as our child grows and develops. At some stages or some times of the day, our child may only enjoy books while they are moving about and doing something else. At other times they may want to sit and cuddle.

Many families are now using e-books and finding them portable and convenient. Recent research shows that welldesigned e-books can enrich our child in similar ways to print books and sometimes offer more opportunities for learning and engagement.

The research also cautions that e-book features can detract from learning and warm interactions. We may feel our child is engaged with learning because they are swiping pages or pressing buttons. However, being digitally engaged is not the same thing as mind-on engagement. If our conversation focuses more on using the device than on the content of the book, our child’s deep learning is diminished.

At every stage, books are a tool or a starting point for engaging in conversation with our child. These conversations enable us to learn more about who our child is, and enable them to learn more about what is important to us.

Books also give us an opportunity to build our special relationship with our child when they sit on our lap or snuggle up to us. Reading this way can

BEAVER

give us a “twenty-minute holiday” from the busy-ness of our lives and have a calming effect on our child and us.

BAT

What You Can Do

There is no “right way” to read books. The way you read them with your child changes according to your child’s interests, their stage of development and sometimes, how you are feeling that day!

The important thing is spending time with your child, often snuggled up, entering new worlds of imagination and possibility as you read, share stories and above all, engage in conversations together. When you spend this special time with your child you are strengthening your connection with them and this can help them develop a long-lasting love of books.

When reading with your child:

# If they just want to talk about the tiger on the page, do that  # If a book reminds them of a visit to Grandma and that leads to a conversation about the visit that is great  # If you are really tired and only want to read the words on the page that day, that’s good too.  Just be prepared to have your child “correct” you if you skip over a word or some pages  From the very start of life you can read books to your baby and continue to do this as they grow.

With very young children, you need to do the talking. 

You can:

# Point at pictures and name what is in the picture, and then relate it to your child’s experience • “See the baby! Can you see the baby’s nose? This is your nose” • “Nose! That’s the baby’s nose.  This is your nose”

Your child will let you know when they have had enough. At every age and stage they will let you know what they want. Simply watch for their gestures, words and cues and let them take the lead.

The way you use books changes as your child changes and can change from day to day. You can usually figure out what kind of experience your child is interested in on any particular day, and then read the book to meet their needs.

Below are some additional ideas about ways you can use books with your child in all stages of communication: 

# Let your child “catch” you reading a book, a magazine, or the newspaper!

Your child notices what you do.  When they see you enjoying books or magazines, you are modeling that reading is fun or that you are reading for information.  Seeing you read will help your child value reading as well • Things are a little more complicated if you use an electronic device to read books.  Explain this to your child and show them what your book looks like on your device # You may want to use e-books with your child.  After all, they are portable and convenient.  A well-designed e-book will encourage interaction with you and

help your child learn.  Make sure to focus your conversation with your child on the content of the book, not on how to use the device # Make it easy for your child to safely access their books.  The easier the access the more likely your child will want to look at their books and choose one for you to read with them # From the beginning of life and for many years, include books with rhymes.  Children love hearing rhymes, and as it turns out, rhymes help children learn (see Repetition) # Look through a book and talk about the pictures.  If your child is not yet using sounds or signs, follow your child’s gaze or gestures to see what they are interested in # Connect the pictures to your child’s feelings.  If someone in a book is laughing, talk about times when your child laughs.  If someone is crying, ask if they sometimes cry and gently encourage them to talk about the times they cry. Books can make it safe for children to talk about their own feelings # Books can also help your child learn about others’ feelings and emotions.  You can talk about and mimic facial expressions you see in a picture book.  A fun way to do this is with a mirror.  You and your child can mimic the expressions from the book as you watch yourselves in the mirror # Books can be a part of bedtime routine (see ZZZ’s) # Connect the pictures to personal experiences.  You may see a picture of a cat and have a conversation with your child about a cat they know.  You can talk about the sound a cat makes and have fun “meowing” with your child # Introduce new ideas and new words.  You may be looking at a book about a

different country or culture or about a train or plane when your child has not yet experienced these # Give your child opportunities to tell you the story of a book they like.  Ask them about the beginning, the middle and the end # Some children want their parents to read every word in the book.  These children sometimes memorize pages or even the whole book.  Parents too! # Other children only want to talk about the pictures.  When you follow your child’s lead they are more likely to stay interested.  There is no need to worry when children do not yet want to listen to the words # At some stages or times of the day, your child may only enjoy books while they are moving about and doing something else.  At other times they may want to cuddle # You and your child can pretend to be characters in the book you are reading.  You can use a blanket to make a tent if a character is in a cave or go outside and pretend to climb like a bear in the story # If your child is constantly on the move and likes to use their large muscles as much as possible (a gross motor child) choose books with actions and songs.  Copy the actions in the book to encourage imitation.  This is helpful for learning in general – and for all children.  Add funny sound effects to keep your child interested # Books also help your child with their fine-motor skills when they turn pages or open flaps. E-book features can also help with fine-motor skills # Children around the world love repetition including: • The repetition that can be found in certain stories

• The repetition of having their parents read them the same book, over and over.  You may long for a different book but children crave predictability because they find it comforting to know what comes next AND they somehow know that they need repetition (see Repetition) to learn new words.  Take heart, on another day your child will want a new story

DID YOU KNOW? Lots of people think that books are just about reading the words on the page but especially with children, books are a GREAT way to interact and engage in conversation. You can point to and talk about the pictures before children are using words. Once they can talk you can ask about the story or about what they think will happen next. You can ask if they have ever experienced this.

BEAR