You found a great book. The children all love it. Any time you take it out they all want to hear it. It’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop. But now it’s two weeks later and you have another book, but the children want to still read the last one; over and over again. You’ve been to plenty of training and your trying to practice what you’ve learned. So what should you do?
You can read the book as many times as the child or children enjoy the book. The familiarity is comforting for the child. Their brains are growing rapidly. As you read the same story you are adding words and their definitions to the children’s vocabulary. They are learning how to pronounce words and in what context to use them. You are also connecting pictures and words together; in short you are connecting both sides of their brain as you read their favorite story. You are a brain architect every time you read to the children.
Even though you are a brain architect, how can
you
not get bored reading the same story? Keep yourself interested by asking different questions about the book. Story retelling is a great way to check for the children's understanding. Asking about different parts of the story help the child remember and organize their thoughts, which will be helpful in school. Don't forget the 5 "W" questions; who, what, where, when, why. You can also link literacy (reading) and art; ask the children to draw a picture of what happens in the story?
For you younger children: name the colors, name the characters, describe the book, talk about how to turn the page .
And lastly, sit back and enjoy the happiness you’ve created for this child while reading because you are a brain architect.
By: Angela Esaw
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