Sharing books is a great way to help your child learn
to read and write. But there is something just as important that you can do
every day that will help children grow on their pathway to becoming future
readers—sharing stories through everyday conversations. Sharing stories is a
bridge between speaking and reading that begins in infancy and continues
throughout childhood. Together, sharing books and sharing stories are
powerful ways to encourage children’s emerging literacy.
Sharing stories is a way to engage children in language that helps explain
the world around them and build the vocabulary, language skills and love of
learning that are the foundations of reading and
writing well (Burns, Griffin, & Snow, 1999). Sharing stories is a simple way
to use everyday moments with children to respond to their curiosity and
interest in the
people, things and events that fill their world. Like
sharing
books, sharing stories with children takes advantage of the fact that
knowledge and love for reading develop through social experiences—the
relationships children have with caring adults in their lives. The good news
about this valuable tool for building literacy is that it just takes two—you
and your child—and every parent can do it every day.
“Honey, do you know who that is? That’s Grammy when she was a little girl.”
Your daughter looks surprised. She asks, “Grammy’s horse?”
“Yes, that’s Grammy’s horse Dakota.”
“I like horses,” your child says.
“Grammy likes horses, too. Dakota was Grammy’s favorite horse. She raised
her from a baby horse. She brushed her every day and fed her every day and
when she was big enough, she rode her every day. What do you think it would
feel like to ride a horse?”
“Big, but fun. Mommy ride with me?”
Sharing stories is as easy as that. The mother noticed her child’s
fascination with the picture and took the opportunity to tell a story based
on that curiosity, using language to add to her daughter’s understanding.
The next time they’re at the library together, they might choose a book
about horses, helping the child connect oral stories with books.
What kinds of things seem to interest your child? Does he like dinosaurs,
baseball, trucks, ballet, flowers, or seashells? Follow your child’s lead as
he explores the world around him. Discovering what motivates your child is
important in helping your child to become a future reader (Thomas & Loring,
1983).
One thing children are always interested in—themselves! Having a starring
role in a story is sure to keep your child’s attention. You can use
make-believe stories or simply tell a story about your child’s day. “Once
upon a time there was a boy named Daniel. He loved to climb and he was a
very good climber. One day he went to the park with his Dad and they spent
all afternoon climbing up the big toy and sliding down the slide. Daniel
also loves to climb on Dad!”
Even the youngest children can be the star of shared stories. As you change
your baby’s diaper, have a “conversation” with her about what the two of you
are doing. “Tasha is kicking her foot. Look at that foot move up and down! I
wonder if Mommy can catch that little foot.” Even though your infant can’t
yet participate in this conversation by talking, you can encourage her to
participate by taking turns just as you would with an older child—stopping
and letting her respond with smiles, giggles or eye contact with you.
Another way to use everyday conversations to build literacy is to respond to
your child’s questions in ways that build language skills and interest in
stories. Questions are the child’s way of asking the parent for an answer—a
story—that makes sense on the child’s level (Gray, 1997). An important thing
to keep in mind is that some answers to a child’s question encourage further
conversation and others do not. For example, you’re in the kitchen cooking
and your preschooler wanders in and asks,
“What are you doing Mom?”
Responding with, “I’m chopping up the lettuce for our salad. What else do
you think we could put in the salad?” would be more likely to continue the
conversation than answering, “Cooking dinner.”
As your child grows older, inviting the child into the conversation by
asking them a question is a good way to engage them in sharing stories.
“Why do we have to go to bed?” a three-year-old asks.
Mommy responds, “Well, one reason is that our bodies get tired and we have
to rest them so we can be strong and healthy. Why else do you think we have
to go to bed?”
Her toddler adds, “Because you have to be asleep to have dreams.”
“You are right! What do you dream about?” Mommy asks with a smile.
At home with
sharing stories.
Your home is a great place to share stories and conversations with your
child. Infants and toddlers are curious about everything that goes on around
them. You can take these opportunities to talk with your young child about
what he sees and hears. Talking about a dream your child had, a play date,
or what happened at daycare builds language skills and helps him understand
how things work. By sharing a story, you are teaching your child how to
listen and how to ask questions. These are important building blocks of
literacy that can also shape a child’s attitude toward reading later in life
(Burns et al., 1999).
Children also benefit when they see parents sharing stories with each other
(Burns et al., 1999). Hearing dinner table conversations in which each
parent shares the events of their day with each other exposes young children
to even more examples of shared stories. Parents are role models for their
children in the literacy process. When children observe their parents
sharing stories they will imitate what they see (Bergin, 2001; Burns et al.,
1999).
Share stories,
share smiles.
Here are three things you can do to build an enthusiasm for reading
through everyday conversations and activities with your child.
1)
Have fun and make sharing stories and conversations enjoyable
(Phillips, 1999; Ryan, 2000). Sharing stories should follow your
child’s interests and questions. If you find your child losing
interest, check to see if maybe you have taken the lead instead of
allowing the child’s curiosity and interest to direct the
conversation. Be creative and don’t be afraid to be silly. Try singing
together, retelling favorite stories, rhyming words, playing music, or
even acting out part of a story. With infants, making funny faces or
silly noises can be a fun way to begin.
2) Share language and conversations with your child as early and often
as possible. An infant’s first lessons about the give and take of
conversation are learned in loving exchanges with her parents. Even
though she can’t respond verbally, she can respond with eye contact,
smiles and coos. As she grows, use everyday moments together to help
your child learn how language and stories work. Provide opportunities
for your child to see you modeling sharing stories in your
interactions with other adults.
3) Children are looking to you for approval as they learn to speak and
eventually read. They want to know that you believe in them and what
they have to say. Sharing stories with children and taking time to
engage them in meaningful conversations opens a window into their
unique perspective on the world and helps them feel valued as
individuals.
Simply put, sharing stories can help your child take an important step
on the path toward literacy through developing his language skills and
understanding of how stories work. It is a way of engaging with
children that sparks their curiosity, answers their questions and
helps them make sense of the new objects, ideas and situations they
encounter every day.
Helpful Parenting Tips
Keep stories and conversations fun and interesting.
Tune into your child’s attention and interest. If he or she becomes bored or distracted, end the conversation or move on to a different subject.
Curiosity will lead children in many directions, so let them choose the subjects you discuss as much as possible. The more involved, interested, and motivated they are, the more they will enjoy shared stories.
Children love make-believe stories, especially when they get to be the star of the story. Have Mom or Dad, or even the family pet, play supporting roles.
Encourage your child’s imagination by using open-ended conversation starters, such as, “I wonder what it would feel like to be a frog and live on a lily pad?” Or try, “How do you suppose that tree got to be so big?” Open-ended questions provide a window into what the child is thinking and feeling and open up dialogue.
Language is an important learning tool, so surround children with dialogue. Invite children into your conversation, even if it is just mom and dad recounting their day at work.
Be creative. Learning about language and stories can take many forms, such as retelling a favorite story, singing together, reciting a favorite rhyme, or even telling knock-knock jokes.
Be a good role model. Just like reading in front of a child sets a good example, so does having enjoyable and meaningful conversations with other adults.
References:
Bergin, C. (2001). The parent-child relationship
during beginning reading. Journal of Literacy Research, 33(4),
681-706.
Burns, M. S., Griffin, P., & Snow, C. E. (Eds.).
(1999). Starting out right: A guide to promoting children's
reading success. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Gray, J. W. (1997). Story re-visions: Tales for the
future. In VisionQuest: Journeys toward visual literacy.
Selected readings from the annual conference of the International
Visual Literacy Association. Cheyenne, WY.
Ryan, S. A. (2000). The value of early literacy
and parental involvement. Unpublished master's thesis, Biola
University, La Mirada, CA.
Thomas, J. L., & Loring, R. M. (1983).
Motivating children and young adults to read - 2. Phoenix, AZ:
Oryx Press.
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One thing children are always interested in—themselves! Having a starring
role in a story is sure to keep your child’s attention. You can use
make-believe stories or simply tell a story about your child’s day. “Once
upon a time there was a boy named Daniel. He loved to climb and he was a
very good climber. One day he went to the park with his Dad and they spent
all afternoon climbing up the big toy and sliding down the slide. Daniel
also loves to climb on Dad!”
Your home is a great place to share stories and conversations with your
child. Infants and toddlers are curious about everything that goes on around
them. You can take these opportunities to talk with your young child about
what he sees and hears. Talking about a dream your child had, a play date,
or what happened at daycare builds language skills and helps him understand
how things work. By sharing a story, you are teaching your child how to
listen and how to ask questions. These are important building blocks of
literacy that can also shape a child’s attitude toward reading later in life
(Burns et al., 1999).
2) Share language and conversations with your child as early and often
as possible. An infant’s first lessons about the give and take of
conversation are learned in loving exchanges with her parents. Even
though she can’t respond verbally, she can respond with eye contact,
smiles and coos. As she grows, use everyday moments together to help
your child learn how language and stories work. Provide opportunities
for your child to see you modeling sharing stories in your
interactions with other adults. 
