THIS MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.

Kids need to PRACTICE their vocabulary in order to learn how to to use it independently and there’s no better way than with a book.

Kids love the same book over and over again for a reason - that predictability is soothing - they know what will happen next and what to expect. For this reason, books are fantastic for language development because the same vocabulary is being repeated over and over.

When we ask our children a question like “what is that?” It puts them on the spot - like a pop quiz that nobody wants to be part of. But when we use this hack and instead just start our sentence and leave a gap - our children get the opportunity to be the teacher and finish that sentence for us. Zero pressure - they’re just so tempted to fill in the gap for us because it feels unfinished. This is called a ‘carrier phrase’.

By doing this, our kids get to practice their vocabulary and participate more in the stories without us putting them under any pressure to.

LEVEL UP:
You can also add communication temptations to your reading by leaving off the last word in the line. If it’s a familliar book or a rhyming book, your child is going to want to finish the line.

Have you tried this? Tag a parent who loves reading with their little one :) let me know how you go.

Watch the full reel here