What is the practice?
Repeated reading exposes children to books a num- ber of times so that they become familiar with the vocabulary, story structure, and use of language. Parents can use repeated readings of a story to help their preschool children to understand, talk about, and participate in the story. Since many young chil- dren, especially those with speech and language delays, are not able to grasp an entire story on the frst reading, hearing books read several times helps children understand and notice new things.
What does the practice look like?
When you read a story to a child several times, he can often fgure out what an unfamiliar word means by the rest of the words that are read. Repeated reading gives your child opportunities to notice repeated sound patterns. If you point out some letters and words as you read the book repeatedly, he will be able to pick up specifc words that are easily recognized and specifc letter-sound relationships.
How do you do the practice?
Here are some ideas that will help you make repeated readings interesting and engaging to a preschool child.
How do you know the practice worked?
- Does the child bring the same book to be read over and over?
- Does she seem to have “picked up” new vocabulary words or understanding of the story?
- Does the child interject comments about the story or tell what’s going to happen next?
- During repeated book readings encourage children to participate actively. Provide opportunities for them to make comments, predict what’s next, ask for clarifcation, etc.
- Preschool children are most likely to beneft from this practice if the books are about things that the child is familiar with and topics that are interesting to the child. A great place to start is by reading the child’s favorite book.
- Let the child choose the story. Preschool children will often choose the same book over and over on their own.
- Be enthusiastic about the story even when you’re reading it for the umpteenth time. Read-aloud sessions involve much more than saying words and turning pages. When you ex- press your own excitement about the pictures, story, setting, and characters, the child will be excited too.
- Let you child “read” the story to you. Children get to know the words or plot to a story that has been read repeatedly, and they enjoy saying the words and turning the pages, just as if they were reading the book.
- Involve your child in repeated reading at times and places where you and your child are relaxed and not hurried, such as when snuggled up together at bedtime, or while passing time waiting for an appointment.
Take a look at more repeated reading
One More Time!
Five-year-old Aaron loves pretending to build things with his toy tool kit. In the children’s section of a bookstore one afternoon, Aaron fnds a book about “Bob the Builder,” one of his favorite characters. Aaron’s father sees him paging through the book and goes to sit beside his son. He begins to read the story to Aaron, taking time to let him enjoy each picture. When they reach the end of the story, Aaron takes the book and opens it to the beginning. His father takes the hint and reads the story again, this time pointing out different things in the pictures. When they reach the end of the story, Dad asks if he should buy the book. Aaron’s face lights up as he eagerly says, “Yes!” Aaron’s father buys the book and lets him look at it in the car on the way home, listening as Aaron “reads” the story aloud. At bedtime that night, Aaron picks the new book for his bedtime story, and his father happily reads it to him for the third time that day, pausing at the end of each page to let Aaron enjoy the pictures and talk about what’s happening in the story.
Role-Playing While Reading
Four-year-old Janet and her mother wait together at the doctor’s offce for Janet’s yearly check-up. The offce is busy and the wait is long. Janet’s mother has brought along a few of Janet’s favorite books. She pulls the books out from her bag and asks Janet to choose one that they can read together. Janet picks the one about a princess that they have been reading almost every night at bedtime. Janet’s mother begins to read the book out loud, making Janet laugh by talking in funny voices for each of the characters. She offers to let Janet take the princess role, pausing so that Janet can “read” the princess’ lines in the story. Janet knows all the princess’ lines by heart and eagerly says each one in her most princess-like voice. Afterward, they read the story yet again, with Janet “reading” a different role while her mother is the princess. Mother and daughter have a great time with the story until Janet’s name is called by the nurse.
Let’s Read Again!
Three-year-old Javier has severe language delays and uses signing to communicate. Javier was given a book about a baby rabbit by his father, and this week it’s the only book he is interested in. Javier brings the book to his mom and dad at nap time. “Do you want me to read the bunny book again?” asks his father as he stretches out next to Javier. Javier snuggles in between his parents and Dad begins to read. As he reads, Dad points to the pictures and engages Javier by asking, “Who is that?” Javier smiles and makes the sign for rabbit. “Yes, that’s the rabbit,” his father answers, carefully articulating the sounds in the word rabbit as well as making the sign. When they have fnished the book, Javier signs, “Again, Dad!” and his father starts the story from the beginning, this time asking Javier different questions that he can answer by signing.
