, Preschool activities that involve reading with children

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Preschool activities that involve reading with children ~ Cassie

Preschool activities that involve reading with children between the ages of one and four years can be a fun learning and bonding opportunity for both children and adults. Kid’s furniture can come in handy here; get a small soft book shelf for the child’s room or one that can be hung on the back of the bedroom door.

The next step is the fill the child’s room with books. Explore books with the child; allow them to choose different genres of reading both fiction and nonfiction. Involvement in the process will help motivate and intrigue young children towards learning. Books that help the child learn about relationships they will have with other children in pre-school or kindergartens are very useful. Choose books that explore friendship, emotions and problem solving. Ask the child questions about the two of you will read together. Consider what will happen with characters in the stories. Ask the child what they think will happen, give them suggestions if it proves difficult for them to come up with an answer. Do not give them a definitive answer; simply guide them to making up their own conclusion. In addition, make connection between what goes on in the child’s favorite stories and their everyday life.

Give the child a chance to interact with the story when reading. Read a few lines and then allow the child then to analyze what has been read and interact with it. Make connections between the child’s life and what is being read. If they are pre-school age, perhaps ask them whether interactions between the characters are similar to interactions between them and their friends at school. Stimulate learning by using books that include rhyming, personification, and alliteration. Ask the child questions about things included in the books, such as why a character chooses to do or not do an action.

Read aloud to the child; encourage them to interact with the story by acting out different scenes with them. Have the child recite the story back to you, even if it merely their own interpretation. Draw pictures of different scenes with the child; encourage them to illustrate their favorite scenes. A workstation or children’s desk is an excellent tool for the read activity. Regardless of how you choose to the spent the time, reading with your child will create long lasting bonds and learning that they carry into grade school and beyond.