The preschool years are a time when your child's interest in hearing stories takes off, and making books together provides a wonderful way to bond while also teaching critical literacy skills. While your child might not be ready to read on their own just yet, their imaginations are full of creative ideas that they can share as you write your stories together. Homemade books are simple to create, and you can use these ideas to ensure that your child gets the most out of your at-home literacy experiences.

Choose Personally Meaningful Topics

Spend a few minutes brainstorming topic ideas with your child. Often, they will mention a favorite book that they have been reading in preschool, or they may have developed a new interest in a specific theme such as trains or dinosaurs. In preschools, teachers often use topics for their homemade books that relate to events in a child's life to keep them engaged. For example, you could write a book about moving homes or welcoming a new friend to the neighborhood.

Involve Your Child In The Illustrations

In addition to reading about their favorite topics, kids love seeing real pictures. If you write a book about family, consider adding some actual photographs of the people that your child loves. Then, encourage your child to draw pictures and add their personal touch to each page with colorful writing utensils and embellishments such as stickers. This helps them feel a sense of ownership that will have them begging you to read their new book again and again.

Help Your Child Predict The Text

Young children enjoy being able to predict what comes next in a story, and they become experts at filling in the blanks once they have heard a story a few times. Use literary devices such as rhyme and repetition to help your child familiarize themselves with the text. For example, you can write sentences that only change the last word as you move from page to page.

Reading together is such a special time between a parent and a child, and you can take yours to the next level by creating books that tap into your kid's interests. As you make your book and read together, talk about the different parts of the books such as the title and the front and back covers. Soon, your budding author will be coming up with their own ideas for creating homemade books that turn family reading time into a personalized learning adventure. For additional ideas, contact a preschool like Small World Early Learning & Development Center.