Interactive books can be a powerful tool for eliciting language in toddlers and preschoolers. By incorporating interactive elements such as lift-the-flap features, textures, and sound effects, these books engage young children and encourage them to participate actively in the reading experience.
Interactive books provide a multisensory experience that stimulates a child's cognitive development. Instead of just listening to an adult reading the book, the child is experiencing it. The goal of reading books with our child isn't just hearing the words but also for them to stay engaged. If your child is running away after the first page of a book it might be time to get more interactive!
Lift the flap books provide the opportunity to teach the child when it is their turn to fill in the answer to a question. When caregivers hold the book by their face while they are reading, pause after they've asked the question, raise their eyebrows and lean in, it gives the child the expectation to open the flap and answer the question.
Reusable sticker books encourage joint attention. Joint attention is when two people focus on the same thing at the same time, like a toy or a picture, and both know they're sharing that moment. All Better is one of my favorite books to work on joint attention. It is so fun taking care of the animals by putting on bandages and giving the animals a kiss. This book encourages a lot of back and forth interaction. This is an important skill because it helps children learn to communicate, understand emotions, and build social connections. Through joint attention, children learn how to share experiences with others, which is a key part of language and social development. It's important to value connection over compliance. Follow your child's lead with how they want to read the book. Shared book reading should be an enjoyable experience for both parent and child!
This is Owl, This is Frog, I Say OOO You Say Ahh and Jump Around all books that work on following directions and concepts in a fun way. Kids love the magic of these books and they don't even realize they are working on following directions while reading them. Reusable sticker books can also be a fun way to work on following directions. For example, while reading "It's Christmas Time" we work on following concepts like "put the start on top of the Christmas tree" or "put the lantern under the window". Or model the concept term when you or the child place the sticker on the book "you put the bell in the middle of the tree."
Surprisingly enough, books can also encourage pretend play. It's Time to Bake It, The Little Helpers Series, 1, 2, 3 Do the Dinosaur, I Breathe and Feed the Animals are all examples of books that encourage story telling, conversation and play. They are a great way to experience new vocabulary words through physical objects or actions. Books give us the opportunity to practice words or actions we might not otherwise experience in our everyday life. Label new words several times and be sure to label more than just the nouns in the pictures. We can't create sentences with only nouns! Pretend play books are also a great way to pre-teach what pretending might look like when a child is playing with peers. It provides scripts for the child to use later in other pretend play scenarios.
When a child is working on speech sounds, refer to the child's speech goals for choosing books. Pick a book where the sound is prevalent throughout. While reading the book, exaggerate the sound, tell the child how you make the sound with your mouth and encourage them to practice the word multiple times. Always praise the effort they put forward while practicing. Here are some examples of speech targets with interactive books:
- All Better - practice the CVCV words "boo boo" and "better" (it's okay if it's "betta") each time you put on a bandage
- Feed the Animals - target final consonant /t/ when you tell each animal to "eat"
- Let's Explore Farm - say "farm" every time you put an animal on the page to target the /f/ sound
- Fingerprint animals - practice 3 syllable words like "animal, bumblebee, ladybug" as you make each one with ink
- I Say OOO You Say AHH - perfect for practicing vowel sounds
Sound books are a great way to practice imitating noises. Sometimes children have an easier time imitating animals sounds (mooo) and noises (vrrroooom) than they do whole words. Animal sounds are fun and motivating for children and keep their attention longer. With late talkers, any imitation is good! Make sounds easier to imitate by only saying the vowel part or just the consonant.
Choosing books with interactive components like lift-the-flap, buttons, textures, songs, etc. can make book reading a more engaging and enjoyable experience for toddlers and preschoolers. Check out all of the interactive book's I've mentioned and some of my other favorite interactive PaperPie books here. I promise you will LOVE these books and the memories they create with your child. I am proud to be a Paper Pie brand partner because I truly love the quality of these books. If you need more suggestions on what books are appropriate for your child, don't hesitate to reach out!
Happy reading,
Ms. Ali