Tips

• Find books that correspond with your child's interests; if they like planes, find a book about planes to read

• Sit your child on your lap or close to you as you are reading to allow them to see the book

• Follow the words with your finger as you are reading, this allows your child to make a connection between the printed words and what you are saying (subconsciously allows the child to track from left to right and train their brain for doing the same when reading)

• Stop reading when your child engages in conversation or points to pictures in the book to allow for verbal interaction and to make a connection with them 

• Spark conversations by asking questions; 'Do you have a little car like this boy in the story?" or "Do you cook cookies with Daddy or Mommy?", etc. 

• Allow your child to pick what book they want to read with you

• Reading before bedtime is a good way to wind down at the end of the day

• Visit your local library to borrow books instead of buying them

• Children relate better to real-life pictures than cartoons​

• Non-fiction books are also interesting to young children

• Do not force your child to sit longer than they can manage according to their age

• Allow your child to pick the amount of books you will read in one siting ("Today, we will read 2 books. Please pick which ones you would like to read together, then it is bedtime"). This makes it clear to the child that ONLY 2 books will be read. 

• Reading parts of books, a few pages before your child looses interest or they ask for a different book is alright, simply move on to the next one

• Use a timer if your child has a difficult time 'ending' reading time, especially if your child doesn't allow you to finish books, it's hard to say: 'We will read 2 books, then it's bedtime."

• Be ready to read the same books over and over with your child. Children love repetition and routine, this includes reading. 

• If your child 'knows the book by heart' because you have read it hundreds of times, use this to your advantage. Allow the child to "finish sentences" and "fill in the blanks" as you read. When reading, stop and pause, to allow your child to do this. 

• Ask your child to 'read' books that are extremely familiar to them as a fun way to develop their memory and language. 

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