Picture books leave a lot to the imagination. That’s why they are so great for preschoolers and toddlers. Even better, almost all books to them are picture books.
This could be great for you. Why? Well, first thing off the top of my head, we don’t have to read the same story over and over again. How many times has your little one done this to you?
They love a book so much they just want you to read it again and again, and again. Well… no more. We get to change things around, and here’s how:
– let them tell you the story, this is from their memory, or they make it up as they go, this inspires their imagination, and the more the can imagine the better
– you can change the story, think of what else could be going on in the pictures that your child would like to hear about
– focus on other things in the book, what else is going on while the story is being read? discuss this with your preschooler
– (my favorite) take a book you haven’t read in awhile and completely ignore the words, even better use a book you have never read, say from the weekly library trip, and make up a story based on what is going on in the pictures, your child won’t know the difference, and tomorrow you will have a completely different story to tell them, thus again teaching them to stretch their imaginations.