Reading with children is a powerful way to foster a love for learning, build vocabulary, and strengthen comprehension skills. Choosing the right book—whether it’s a fun, engaging story or a nonfiction book packed with fascinating facts—can make all the difference in keeping young readers interested. Beyond just selecting a great book, there are simple strategies you can use to make story time even more meaningful, from introducing new vocabulary to engaging students in active listening.
When picking out a book to read to your child or students, try to pick a book that they will be interested in. It can be a book related to a specific theme or topic you have been learning about in class or at home, a book about a specific topic that your child or students are interested in, social emotional skills, or even just a fun one. For example, when learning about the Ocean, you can choose books about sharks, sea creatures, and water. Make sure to find an assortment of books, both fiction and nonfiction. It is amazing how even the youngest readers can be so interested in nonfiction books! That being said, reading doesn’t always have to be serious, either. It can be fun and engaging, even with some of the sillier books out there, like Dr. Seuss books. Kiddos can learn something from every book, no matter the topic, genre, or format. Books can help you teach phonological awareness skills like rhyming, alliteration, sequencing, without even realizing it.
Once you have selected a book, it is helpful to do a pre-read before reading it to your child or students. In the classroom, one way to really scaffold learning is to look for several harder words that your children may not be familiar with. It is helpful to write these words down on a recipe card or small piece of paper and find a picture that goes with them. On the back of the card, you can put a very simple definition of the word. Before you read the story, pick a few of the words to go through with your child or students.
In my class, I give the kiddos a listening task while I’m reading. Whenever they hear me say one of the new words we talked about, I have them give me a thumbs up. This helps them focus on these new words they are learning and keeps them listening to the story. They even get a kick out of putting their thumbs up before I do! It is so fun to hear even some of the youngest learners start to use these bigger vocabulary words. If a kiddo can rattle off obscure dinosaur names, then they can certainly learn some of these bigger vocabulary words. We generally will read this same story several times throughout the week. Books aren’t meant to be read just once! Reading a book a few times can really help aid comprehension. On your second or third read, try to ask some comprehension questions like “What will happen next?”, “How is ___ feeling right now?”, etc. This will really get kiddos thinking about what they are reading!
Another way to make reading fun is to change up who is doing the reading by inviting parents to be “mystery readers.” You can create a paper or online sign-up and invite parents to come in and surprise their child by reading a story to the class. I do this in my classroom every year in February as part of I Love to Read Month. In a classroom setting, books on cd’s can be used to help switch things up too. There are so many fun books out there with CD accompaniment. Your students can even turn the pages along with the story, by listening for the “beep” at the end of each page. It’s a fun way to incorporate technology into reading.
By thoughtfully selecting books and incorporating interactive reading strategies, you can turn story time into an enriching experience for children. Pre-reading activities, such as introducing key vocabulary words, help build comprehension, while encouraging participation through listening tasks keeps kids engaged. Reading the same book multiple times also reinforces learning and deepens understanding. Switching up the reader—whether through guest readers or books with audio accompaniment—adds excitement and variety. With these simple yet effective approaches, reading can become both educational and enjoyable for young learners.
Leave A Comment