Story Time for Preschoolers

"Rattle, shake, screech, roar - who's knockin' at my door?" Matthew tears through the house, a sheet over his head. "Boom, boom, in my room!" he yells. "A witch is flyin' on her broom!"

For the past month, Matthew has immersed himself in a world of Halloween books. Although he does not yet know how to read text, he spends time every day looking at books with spooky ghosts, goblins, and skeletons. He recites lines he has memorized from the many times his parents have read them aloud. And he makes up his own, like the ones above. All this adds up to one thing: Matthew is becoming a reader.

Moving Toward School - and Reading

Your preschooler knows a lot of things he or she didn't as a baby. Preschoolers don't read independently, but if they've been read to a lot, they know a thing or two about reading.

• They know books are read from front to back.
• Pictures should be right-side up.
• Reading is done from left to right.
• The language of books is different from spoken language.
• Words have different sounds in them.
• There are familiar and unfamiliar words.

All of these are emergent literacy skills - important building blocks toward the day when your child will read independently. How can you encourage your child to further develop these skills? Just keep reading aloud.

Choose lots of different books to read aloud to help your preschooler increase his or her vocabulary, acquire knowledge about many different topics, and understand how stories are structured and what characters do in them. Your child also will learn that:

• Text is words written down.
• Letters in a specific order form a word.
• There are spaces between words.

Understanding these basic concepts will help when your child starts formal reading instruction in school.

When and How to Read

Many children this age have moved beyond the small world of your household to child care or preschool. They may even be enrolled in lessons or classes. Read-aloud time can be a chance to slow down and spend time together.

Try to have set times to read together. Before bed works well, as do other "down" times in the day - when your child first gets up in the morning, or after meals. Your child will enjoy cuddling with you, hearing your voice, feeling nurtured, and receiving your undivided attention.

Children between the ages of 3 and 5 are eager to show off what they know and love to be praised. Continue to choose some books with simple plots and repetitive text that your child can learn and retell. Encourage your child to "read" to you and praise the attempts.

Here are some additional tips:

• Yes, you should read that book for the millionth time - and try not to sound bored. Your child is mastering many skills with each re-reading.
• When you are looking at a new book, introduce it. Look at the cover and talk about what it might be about. Mention the author by name.
• Ask your child why a character may have taken a specific action.
• Ask what part of the story your child liked best and why.
• Talk to your child about the parts of the story - how did it begin? What happened in the middle? What did he or she think of the ending?
• Move your fingers under the words as you read to demonstrate the connection between what you are saying and the text.
• When you come to familiar or repetitive lines, let your child finish them. ("I do not like green eggs and....I do not like them, Sam....")
• Ask your child to point out letters or words he or she might recognize. You might also occasionally point to words and sound them out slowly while your child watches.

But even as you ask your child more complicated questions, your top goal should be to enjoy reading and have fun. Don't make reading a book like a test your child needs to pass. Look at the pictures, make up alternative words together, and be playful and relaxed.