The findings are in! Reading to toddlers can promote early literacy, and it’s one of the cheapest, easiest ways you can support your child in their lifelong learning journey. Australia Reads research states that children who are exposed to more storybooks at a young age show a greater inclination to continue reading for pleasure and, in turn, have more advanced literacy skills right through to adolescence. What’s more, children who read with a caregiver are more likely to read independently as their skills develop.
But literacy isn’t just about learning to read words. Being literate means enjoying a whole range of comprehension and problem-solving skills related to making sense of books. There are many ways you can explore literacy and a love of books with pre-readers to help get them excited about their own reading futures.
Start with a front to back read
Start-to-finish is the way most of us are inclined to read to toddlers. Whether it’s snuggled on a lap, tucked up in bed, or sitting on the classroom mat, toddlers enjoy the experience of having a story read to them by a loved adult. Simply reading the book is great fun, but it also helps children begin to understand that stories have a beginning, middle and end, plus some twists along the way. As their own skills improve, they’ll take this early understanding with them, learning to make predictions about what comes next in a story, and growing their comprehension of tension, humour and genre.
Examine the whole book
Another way to support early literacy in toddlers is to invite them to examine the whole book, as an object. Is it hard or soft? What does the title mean? Are there pictures or patterns on the endpapers (the pages at the very front and back of a hardcover picture book, before the actual story starts)? Who is the author or the illustrator? Have you read any other books created by those people? Comprehension of a book is not just about understanding what happened, but also how it makes the reader feel, and what it might mean for future experiences. Ask your child what they think might happen next? What they would do in the same situation?
While toddlers might not fully grasp every detail of these conversations, you are helping with what educators call ‘concepts of print’ – that is, learning what a book actually IS and DOES. Letting your toddler hold a book and turn pages also gives them a sense of ownership and engagement as you read.
Linger on the visuals
The illustrations in a children’s book are rarely purely decorative – they have several very important functions. Firstly, they assist engagement by being lively and attractive to young minds. Secondly, they assist with literacy development by helping new readers associate vocabulary with images while they are still learning to decode.
But they also support children’s visual literacy skills – that is, learning to read the pictures, with or without the words. The illustrations in great quality picture books often include subtle additional pictorial elements in addition to what the main story is telling us. By allowing toddlers to linger on the illustrations you are helping them consider the symbols and subtexts of pictures, like the connotations of colours, or the facial expressions that indicate a certain emotion, without reading any words at all. Visual literacy will eventually benefit children as they interact with persuasive images, like advertising or political campaigns, and navigate ‘fake news’.
Role model respect
Whether reading with your toddler happens for hours at the local library, or for five minutes in the doctor’s waiting room, you can make it feel important for them by respecting their books. Adults often do a great job of role modelling reading novels or work papers, but they forget to show a genuine interest in children’s books. Try to avoid storing the picture books in the playroom while the ‘real’ books go elsewhere. The more you understand, analyse, talk about and share the books your child is interested in, the more they are likely they are to covet and enjoy books themselves. And why should kids have all the fun books, anyway?
Dr Lara Cain Gray is a writer, librarian and storytelling advocate based in Brisbane, Australia. Her professional past spans library and museum curatorship, academic research, and corporate and creative writing and editing. Her book The Grown-Up’s Guide To Picture Books supports parents, carers, educators and creators to get a deeper understanding of this entertaining, educational and always exciting book format.
