Storytelling is one of the first steps teaching your child to read.
Between the eighteenth and thirty-sixth months,
your child may begin to
be aware of happenings around him or her, over
which your
child may have little or
no control; also, your child’s thinking may have become more complex. It is
now time for storytelling.
Reading Reading
For your child, reading
is
very real, and a story is just one of those happenings. Stories are good for your
child: they have a beginning, a middle,
and
an
end; they tell the sequence of events; and
they show the
cause- and-effect of actions.
Your child usually prefers
to have each new book read and re-read until he or she has mastered the vocabulary and sentence patterns before you
give your child another
book.
Do not give too
many new books to
your child at one time lest he or
she become confused and
careless.
Your child does not mind
reading the same book over
and over again! You may not have the patience, but your
child does.
Reinforce the parent-child interaction by talking through picture books:
help your child understand words and use them in the context of
pictures.
Introduce exciting new characters; try to describe them as
vividly as
possible. Induce
your child to participate in the depiction, such as the color
of
their clothes, and their sizes.
Repeatedly and deliberately use such phrases
as “because of,” “and then,” “afterwards,” and “so that” to teach your child sequence and cause-and-effect.
Focus on the details of the story; ask your child questions
that require more elaborate and thoughtful answers.
For example,
in The Arabian Nights, instead of simply saying “Ali Baba
climbed up a tall tree when he saw some 40 thieves coming on horsebacks,” also ask
your child: “Why do you
think he climbed up the tree?” or “What would have happened
if
the thieves had
seen
him?” If your
child responds
by
saying,
“They would have killed him,” then ask: “Why do you think they would want to kill him?” or “With what would they have killed him?” If your child tells you
they
would have killed him with
a knife, then ask your child, “Do you think they would have used a
long knife or a
short one?” If your child cannot give the answers, help
him or her. It is important that your
child is aware of the need to look for
details and that he
or she learns to proceed from the general to the specific.
After finishing the pages, develop discussion by asking such questions as the following:
What was he story about?
What
happened?
Where did it happen?
What
happened in the end?
Can
you think of a different ending for the story?
Which was the most exciting part?
Which of the pictures do you like best?
Who did you like or dislike in the story?
Why
do you like or dislike him or her?
Can
you describe him or her?
How
do you think the character in the story feels?
Would you like the events to happen to you?
How would you feel if it were happening to you?
What would you have done?
Encourage your child to
interrupt your
reading with
questions
and comments, which are more important than the story itself.
Read aloud to your
child only when you are feeling
relaxed and leisurely; avoid reading only at bedtime when you tend to be more concerned with
getting through the story than
relaxing yourself.
To
start with, base your choice of books for reading on the following:
The books should have large, simple illustrations in bold, primary colors.
Pictures should be clear with not too many objects on
a page.
The books should have a picture story that makes sense without the printed word.
The
story should be appropriate to
your child’s age level.
Alphabet books,
picture dictionaries, and
books that teach speech
sounds, concepts or
morals are
good reading
materials. Poetry
is another source of reading materials. Children love poetry: they enjoy
the
rhythm of the language even though there may be many unfamiliar
words. Newspapers are also
a good source of materials for reading aloud to children. Read headlines from news stories.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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