Read stories with your child to develop language

This is an automatically translated article.

Post by Speech Pathologist Au Thi Hoa - Cell Therapy Center, Department of Regenerative Medicine - Vinmec Times City International Hospital
In the period from 2-3 years old, most children are familiar with books and stories in many different forms: seeing pictures, listening to stories, reading together with their parents or even flipping them on their own. Turn the pages of the book, ... Each form can develop children in different areas in the development process. It can be fine motor, language comprehension, expressive language, independence, ... based on how children approach books and stories. So how can parents develop comprehension and expressive language while playing with their baby?

1. Choose books to help develop language with children

Currently, the market for children's books is extremely diverse with not only Vietnamese authors but also foreign literary works being licensed. In addition to diverse content, the form of reading stories for children is also constantly improved and renewed such as books, audio stories, flip books, .... Choosing the right books for children should be a problem. The first topic we are interested in.
With young children starting to get acquainted with books, choosing books with novel presentation forms such as slide books, books with audio, .. will easily attract children's attention. Parents should choose books related to daily activities such as brushing teeth, getting dressed,... pictures with bright colors and easy-to-understand illustrations. The sentences used here are usually short and easy to understand to suit children.
And when children understand longer sentences and can focus on following the story for about 3-5 minutes, parents can let their children choose books that they like in addition to choosing books that we find suitable. suitable for children. Books at this stage will have more words, longer sentences and use a variety of words to provide a vocabulary appropriate to the child's ability. The content of books for children at this stage is also expanded, such as life lessons, stories with many characters and interactions between characters.

2. Use the right tone of voice

It would be a pity if we used the same tone of voice throughout a story when reading with our children. With any book, children are extremely attracted to the use of high and low tones, exclamatory sounds or sometimes pauses between sentences and pages. A swish, a hum will draw the child's attention or even create a surprise for him.
Through the use of different vocal ranges, children can direct their attention to the main points of the story. Each character is attached with a voice that will make it easier for children to imagine the difference between the characters and sometimes, children will begin to have the concept of adults, children or boys and girls through the use of children. Use appropriate tone of voice while reading the story. This is also essential for children's language development.

3. Make a plan for reading

Not all children like to read books. And not all parents are aware of building a plan about reading books or reading stories to their children. With children, we should initially form children reading time to them at a certain time to create good reading habits for them. Forming a habit for children will make children more aware of reading and create a foundation for active reading in children later.

4. Let your child participate in reading together

Parents should play the role of a guide and accompany their children in the whole reading process. Instead of completing the goal of reading the entire story, pay attention to the images and details that keep your child's attention and interest. Then, based on your child's interest, reread the story together and give them a chance to show their interest by naming or pointing at the object. It can be pictures of tiny flowers and leaves that your child loves.
When children are able to express their thoughts in sentences or phrases, after each page of the book, parents can stop and help their child guess what the next page will be. What animal will appear, what will happen or even why do you guess so?
How much more interesting reading will be if children are involved in reading instead of playing the role of listeners, receiving only one-way information.

5. Get creative with stories

This suggestion will be for those who have imagination and can express speech in short sentences. We'll find ways to get creative with familiar stories.
Imagine familiar children/ people/ objects/ animals into characters in the story. Come up with a different story for the characters in the story. Think of a different ending to the story. Children act as a character in the story and practice retelling the story. Role play and re-enact the story through the acting of the characters. Tell the story with the puppets. The above are considered to be very simple language development measures for children and parents can apply to develop with their children every day. Hope can bring children great experiences in each stage.

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