Act Out a Story

Read your child’s favorite book and then act it out together.  Find items around the house to use as props.  Dress up like the characters in the book.  Retell the events in the story in your own words by pretending to be the characters.  

Acting out a story helps your child learn that each story has a beginning, middle, and end. It also makes the story more fun when everyone can participate.

Go on a Picture Walk

Choose a book with lots of pictures.  Look at the cover and read the title of the book.  Ask your child what she thinks the story is going to be about.  Go through the book and look at every picture in order.  Without reading the words, talk about the story. 

Ask questions, such as:

• What do you think is happening?
• Why do you think that?
• What are the characters doing?

After looking at all of the pictures, read the story.  Ask your child if her predictions were right.  This helps her learn to use pictures to get information about the story.  It is also a great way to start a conversation about a story.

Tell a Story

Tell your child a story from your childhood or share a story about your family.  Think about what your child would want to know.  What was your first day of school like?  Who were your friends? What was your favorite game to play?

Ask your child to tell a story about something that has happened to her.

When you tell stories, your child is learning:

• How to be a good listener
• How to use language
• Comprehension skills

Make a Book

Make a book with your child.  Think about a topic that he is interested in and help him write a story about it.  Ask him to draw the pictures and help him write the words on the page.  Read the story together!

Writing a story helps your child:

• Learn about the parts of a book
• Understand that words have meaning
• Express his thoughts

Take a Trip to the Library

Visit the library with your child.  Talk about what a library card is.  Spend time looking at the books in the children’s section.  Show her how the books are arranged.  Find books that she likes and check them out.  If she is old enough, let her get her own library card.

When you visit the library, your child

• Can find more books about things she likes
• Has access to a wide variety of books
• Learns how to take care of books

Discuss Parts of a Book

As you read, talk about the parts of a book.  Show your child where to start reading.  Point out that books are read from left to right and top to bottom. 

Share the following with your child:

• Title- the name of a book
• Author-the person who wrote the words
• Illustrator-the person who drew the pictures
• Cover-the front of the book