How can I use books to help support my child’s language development?

Books are a great way to help support a toddler’s language development.

• Find books that are about things that interest your toddler. For example, does your child like dinosaurs, trains or cars? If you use books that interest them they are more likely to sit down and listen.

• Read stories again and again. Your toddler enjoys repetition, and it will help them learn language.

• Choose books with rhymes or songs. Clap along to the rhythm and help your child clap along. As your child develops, leave pauses and see if they will fill in the gaps. For example “the wheels on the bus go…”

• Repeat key words in the book and point to the pictures. For example point to the dog in the book and say “dog”.

• Comment on how people are feeling in the story. For example “the boy is sad”.

• Encourage your child to find things in the book. For example ‘find the rabbit’, ‘point to the boy’.

• Encourage your child to repeat what you say.

• Give your child a chance to choose their own book for reading.

• Make reading fun. Read with expression using different voices for different characters.