Reading story books is an essential part of a child’s development. It not only establishes necessary language skills, but also stimulates a child’s imagination and creativity.

Having taught many preschoolers here at i-Leaner, I have found reading story books to be an excellent way to encourage these little ones to develop and share ideas. It also helps adults and children to develop a creative bond, which helps in many aspects of future learning.

Here are my top tips on how to get the most out of story reading with young children:

Let children choose their own books

This is the first vital step if you want kids to be interested in reading. By letting them take charge of choosing the books to read, they feel important and have a sense of participation in the process. More importantly, they tend to be more willing to finish the book if it’s one they’ve chosen themselves.

Create a nice reading area

The environment in which children read is an important element that adults may sometimes neglect. Try working together with your kids to make a reading area that they love to spend time in. Simple things like cosy rugs, beanbags and lamps can transform a corner of your home into a perfect reading nook!

Use storytelling techniques

Make your storytelling more exciting by bringing the words to life! Animate the book characters with different voices and alter the volume and speed of your words to match the story developments. These techniques not only make reading fun, but also facilitate understanding of the action and simulate a child’s imagination. Check out some of the excellent CBeebies Bedtime Stories on YouTube for inspiration.

Reading story books is always an enjoyable activity for both parents and children. Helping your kids develop an interest in reading from a young age, you will soon discover the amazing benefits that this can bring.

Our Pre-School English courses introduce phonics from level 3. Students who need an extra boost in this area can also join i-Learner’s Phonics and Reading Aloud courses.