Reading is a great way to build a routine with your child and increase the opportunity to have a shared activity each day.
Where to start?
Choose books that interest your child. This can increase the likelihood that your child will participate in the activity and look forward to reading each day with you. You can also take this opportunity to model vocabulary words related to the topic of their interest.
How should we set up?
It is recommended that you read the book while holding it up next to your face and having the child seated in front of you and facing you. This way, your child can see how you produce sounds and words in the book. If you have a little one, you don't even need to read all the words on a page- just narrate what you see and point out key words and pictures.
What if my child likes to hold the book instead of me?
That is ok! You can model in single words what they see on the pages. In some instances, the child will begin to look up to you to label or name the item they see. If your child already uses single words, you can model two or three word phrases to describe what they see and what is happening in the pictures. Reading is a great way to work on articulation as well if your child is targeting speech sounds in therapy. You can target this by choosing one target in the book and having the child produce/imitate the word every time they see or hear it.
What if my child does not like reading?
Many books are now available online such as Epic books, openlibrary.com, or your local library's online collection. Some children enjoy hearing the book read to them and YouTube offers a great way to listen to the book, slow down the speed, and even pause to talk about what you see. You can even share your screen from your device to your TV to make the book bigger!