Interactive Reading: How? 53 Tips [Checklist]

Interactive reading to toddlers: an important skill to contribute to children’s language development. Here you will find an explanation and 53 reading tips for each phase of a story. Read on for these tips about reading to (young) children.

Interactive reading in practice: all 53 tips to try with toddlers now

Part 1 – If you are not reading to your own child, for example for a foreign family

• Over time, you have to take fewer and fewer books with you so that the parents get more and more independent books from the library, until they do it completely.
• Encourage the parents of your reading child to borrow books.
• Have the parents participate in the reading in any way.
• Ask the parents if there is already reading. What does the child like?
• Parents always participate.
• The book is in line with the interests of the child. Ask the interests of the parents.
• Show the books to the parents.

Part 2 – Introduce the book

• The book is still in the bag. Let the children guess what the book is about. For example: it is about an animal…, the animal has 4 legs…, the animal calls meow.
  “Hokus Pokus Pilatus Pas… I wish there was a cat book in the bag…” Then have the child take the book out.
• Bring several books and let the child choose.
• Discuss cover and title. ‘What do you think will happen, what do you think the story will be about?
  Well, shall we go and see? ‘
• What do you already know about {this topic}?
• Enter a listening question: ‘In the book 3 balls will appear in a minute, what colors are they? Pay attention!’
• Start as soon as possible, especially with a busy group.

Part 3 – Know the little techniques of reading aloud

• Let the child choose the book.
• Look at the child regularly while reading.
• Let the child watch the book.
• Participate, for example roar if the main character does too.
• Gestures and portraying.
• Using different voices. A good example are the voices of Sesame Street.
• Have the child read to you too.
• Listening Response: Do not immediately respond verbally to a comment. For example just raising eyebrows, “mmmm, oh?”
• Make a cardboard booklet with the child’s name on it: “We’re going to make our own story! Are you going to draw? Then I write. ”
• EUREKA trick: spontaneous prompting: “What song are we going to do?” “Oh, I have a really good idea guys: let’s …” “You know that already?”
• Have children sit when explaining something.

Part 4 – Ask questions

• Pointing questions: can you point the ball?
• Counting questions: how many balls are there?
• Yes / no questions: is the lion on the table?
• Who / What Questions: Who will shoot the ball? Who does the lion want to go to?
• Why / how ?: Why does the lion want that so badly? How is the lion going to do that?
• Contrary questions: the ball is still in the bowl (in reality the ball is somewhere else)?
• Talk about the main problem in the story: “How is that solved?” And ask other questions about it.
• “And how do penguins do?”
• Ask questions about emotions: “How do you think little bear feels?” “And what is he? He is a bit sad! (imitating with tears) “
  Then you probably also know how she feels.”
• Look expectantly at a question; what do you think would happen?
• Also improvise some questions.
• Predictions: what do you think will happen next?
• What would you do if you were lost?

Part 5 – Explain difficult keywords

• Explain or ask questions about what words mean (“I don’t know, do you know?”).
• Asking questions about personal experiences with that word. For example, the word is peeking. “Have you ever peeked?”
• Portray, for example, verbs such as peeking, and emotions. If necessary, do it first, and the child can participate.
• To experience.
• Show picture.
• Talk about it.
• To draw.
• To hear.
• Teaching something to someone else: retelling. This is also a valuable skill for later.
• Sometimes you don’t have to dwell on every word and you can just paraphrase and go on.
• Emotions can cause embarrassment. The solution: talk about feelings in the third person: “The dog is in love. What does he feel then? ‘

Part 6 – Clean up

• Always talk: Is it understood? Link to own experiences.
• Have the child retell or summarize the story.
• Let the child earn stickers for each reading.
• Creative processing: song, story reenactment, coloring picture, game, drawing or language game.

That was the reading tips checklist – Why is reading so important?

If you want your kids to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be brilliant, read them more fairytales.
– Albert Einstein

1. Reading with young children improves their brain development.
2. It gives the child a head start.
3. It deepens the bond between the child and the adult.
4. Reading gives the child more self-confidence.
5. Reading is useful before going to bed.
6. Reading aloud stimulates the child’s imagination.
7. Reading aloud gives the child a greater understanding of language.
8. A young reader, read more later too!
9. It is a lot of fun to read together.
10. You show that you are a role model.

More about interactive reading (Article!)

This was the article with a checklist for interactive reading. Also take a look at the extensive article on metaphors to take your reading skills to a completely different level.