How To Talk About Books With Littlebits
I remember worrying about Lucy’s speech (or lack thereof) just around the time she was turning two. My friend and her daughter came over for a playdate one summer day just weeks before Lucy’s 2nd birthday. I was shocked (and pretty insecure) about the fact that my friend’s daughter, nearly 5 months younger than Lucy, was speaking in 3-4 word sentences, while Lucy was still dropping word endings and barely putting together two-word sentences. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about this for long, since days after Lucy turned two, her language seemed to explode. Today, I can’t get her to stop talking!
What worried me during that time was the feeling that I had done so much to encourage language with Lucy, and it didn’t seem to be paying off. I talked to her CONSTANTLY throughout the day, even when she wasn’t at an age when she was able to respond. I talked to her about what we were doing throughout the day. I talked to her about what we saw outside of our window. I talked to her about what we were eating or where we were going. Most importantly, I spent a lot of time talking to her about books.
As a teacher, I would see some of my students’ comprehension skills improve after just days of reading together and talking about texts. As a parent, I was determined to set Lucy up with strong language and literacy skills from the beginning, so I incorporated tactics from my classroom into my reading time with her.
I didn’t realize in those early days that the seeds I was planting would grow in due time. Today, it is clear that those seeds blossomed in how well Lucy communicates and how sophisticated her own storytelling is. It is also apparent in how much she understands and is able to take direction, even at just two years old.
It’s never too early to talk to your littlebits about books, even if they are not yet talking or if they don’t respond how you think they should. Talking to your littlebits before, during, and after reading will build comprehension and conversation skills that will help them to eventually become independent readers, critical thinkers, and master communicators. Here are some ways to talk about books with your littlebits. Be aware that these strategies will be the easiest to implement with preschoolers and older children but can absolutely be modified and modeled for babies and toddlers.
Before Reading
Prepare your littlebit for what he or she is getting ready to read. This helps them to tap into what they already know so that they can apply their prior knowledge to understanding the book. To encourage this thinking, you can:
Read the title and ask what they think it means or what it reminds them of. If you are reading to an infant or young toddler, you can simply say what you think it means or what it reminds you of.
Jog Littlebit’s memory. If you’ve read the book before, ask Littlebit what he or she remembers of the book. If you haven’t read the book before, ask them to predict what will happen. If you are reading to an infant or young toddler, you can model making a prediction here by saying, “I think this book is going to be about…”
Talk about the cover art. Name the main character and talk about what he/she/it is doing. Point out colors or details that catch your eye.
During Reading
As you explore the story together, discuss what is happening. This will help deepen your littlebit’s understanding of the story. Eventually he or she will learn to think and make meaning of the text independently. To encourage this thinking, you can:
Talk about what is happening in the pictures. Point out what the characters are doing and point to objects or details that are interesting or important.
Engage your littlebit in the reading of the text. If you’ve read the book before, start reading a sentence, and then pause to encourage Littlebit to finish the sentence. If you haven’t read the book before, get him or her to repeat key parts of the text. This makes the reading experience so much fun for kids and empowers them by making them feel like active participants.
Ask Littlebit to predict what they think will happen next. You can ask this vaguely by saying, “What do you think will happen next?” or you can make the question more specific with these examples:
What do you think [Character] will do next?
Who will [Character] meet on the next page?
How will [Character] solve this problem?
In an ABC Book: What letter comes next?
In a counting book: What number comes next?
In a book about animals: What other animals might we read about?
After Reading
Give Littlebit an opportunity to digest the story after it’s done. This will allow him or her to see the big picture, form opinions, and make connections. To encourage this thinking, you can:
Review or summarize the book when you’re done reading. There are several ways for older children to do this, but for toddlers and preschoolers, you can ask questions such as:
What did the character do first?
What did the character do next?
What happened last?
Ask your littlebit for a reader response. This will empower him or her to form and share an opinion on the book. Some ways to have this conversation are by asking:
Did you like the book? Why or why not?
What was your favorite part of the book? Why?
How did this book make you feel? Why?
Help Littlebit make connections between the book and real life. You might ask, “What else does this book remind you of?” Encourage him or her to point out similarities and differences between what happened in the book and what happens at home or out-and-about.
These strategies may seem too advanced right now, but don’t sell your littlebit short. Even if he or she can’t fully engage at these levels just yet, they can begin to internalize these behaviors and thought processes that good readers perform while reading. Start by adding one new strategy a day, and you’ll be surprised to see your little one taking more of an interest in books as they begin to think about, talk about, and engage more with the stories you read together. By implementing this early on in your littlebit’s life, you are planting seeds that will one day blossom into advanced reading, writing, thinking, and communication skills.
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