Sharing books with Preschoolers, the Hanen Way
By Lauren Lowry
Hanen Certified Speech-Language Pathologist and Hanen Staff Member
Preschoolers (aged 2 ½ to 5 years) enjoy books in many different
ways. Some may want you to read their favourite story book from beginning to end. Some may just want
to flip quickly through the pages. Some may try to “read” the book to you, pointing out pictures of interest
or reciting memorized words or lines from the story. All of these are positive ways to share books
together. What’s most important is that your child enjoys looking at books with you and that the
experience leads to conversation and interaction between you and your child.
When reading with a preschooler, the main goals include:
1. Encouraging her interest in books and in sharing them with you
2. Learning about new words, ideas and concepts, especially those that broaden her understanding
of her world and stimulate her imagination
3. Understanding and enjoying stories
4. Having fun!
Types of books to read with a preschooler:

Repetitive books – younger preschoolers may enjoy books with predictable, rhythmic language
that repeats throughout the book. The language and repetition in these books will catch your
child’s interest and make it easier to remember important words and sentences. Examples of
repetitive books: “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?” by Bill Martin Jr., “Goodnight

Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown, or “Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb” by Al Perkins.
Homemade books – which could include photos of favourite people or things, or objects or
remnants from outings or interesting places they have been (such as a birthday party or a trip to

the zoo). See “Make a Book” at the end of this article for more ideas.
Simple storybooks with a main character or a main event - the story should have a clear
beginning, middle, and end. An example would be “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.
The story of the Three Little Pigs is another example of a simple story which has a repetitive
structure, making it easier for your child to follow along and understand the story. If your child isn’t

interested in listening to the whole story at first, simplify it, or just talk about the pictures.
Non-Fiction books – non-fiction books about interesting topics such as animals, occupations or
how things work will expose your child to new vocabulary and provide new topics for
conversation.
Books to avoid:

Lengthy, complicated storybooks, especially those without lots of illustrations - these
types of books often involve an understanding of more complex language than your child may be
ready for (especially younger preschoolers). And if there aren’t enough pictures to explain the

story, your child may have a difficult time following along
Electronic books – In a study comparing an e-book with the same story in a paper book version,
researchers found that children learned more from the paper book [1]. The buttons and games in
the e-book distracted the children’s attention from the story. Read more about this study.
How to share books with a preschooler

Let your child choose the book – it’s okay to make suggestions from time to time, but allowing

your child to choose the book you read ensures that your child is truly interested.
Let your child hold the book and turn the pages – children love to be actively involved and to
have some control over the book reading. Don’t worry if she skips some pages – the goal is to

make the book an enjoyable experience and reading every page isn’t a “must” at this stage.
Let your child “read” the book in her own way – some children look at a few pages or flip
through the book for a few moments. Others want to look at the entire book. Let your child look at
the book at her own pace and according to her interests. You don’t have to finish the whole book

at one sitting!
It's okay to change things up! – you don’t have to read every word on the page. You can

simplify the story, or just talk about the pictures and not read the words.
It's okay to keep things the same! – some children love to look at the same book over and over
again. There’s no need to discourage this. The repetition and familiarity helps your child learn
new words and better understand the concepts within the book.

Wait – for your child to do or say something. After you have either turned the page or read one
page, wait silently and avoid asking questions or pointing out anything particular on that page.

Your goal is to give your child an opportunity to express herself and take turns with you.
Try acting it out – once a story is familiar to your child, she may enjoy acting out the story with
actions or props. For example, if she enjoys a story about a baby bird learning to fly, you could
pretend to flap your wings as you learn to “fly” around the living room with your child.
Once you’ve found a book your child likes and you are taking turns talking about the book, you can Add
Language that will stimulate your child’s vocabulary, understanding, and thinking skills (It Takes Two to
Talk® - A Practical Guide for Parents of Children with Language Delays. Pepper & Weitzman, 2004).
“Adding Language” means:

use a variety of words – try to avoid just naming the pictures in the book as this will result in
your child being exposed to mostly nouns (names of things). While nouns are important, your
child also needs to be exposed to words that describe (e.g. “messy”, “sticky”, “enormous”), action
words (“climb”, “fly”, “yell”, “see”), words for feelings (“grumpy”, “excited”, “tired”), location words

(“beside”, “under”, “through”), words about time (“soon”, “later”, “after”), etc.
highlight important words – emphasize the most important words (the ones that are key to your
child understanding the information on the page) with your voice, slowing down, and showing a
picture in the book which demonstrates the meaning of the word. Repeat these new words often
when talking about the story and in everyday life. This will help your child remember these new

words and possibly begin to use them himself.
expand your child’s message – when your child says something about the book, you can
respond by elaborating on his message. For example, if she says “there’s a frog” while pointing to
a picture of a frog jumping between lily pads, you can expand by saying “Yes, the frog is jumping
on the lily pads!” Adding on to your child’s idea shows your child how to produce longer

sentences and gives her more information about the topic.
build your child’s understanding – your child will gain a better understanding of her
experiences and her world when you draw connections between the book and her life. For
example, if you look at a book about a trip to the doctor, you can talk about a recent visit your

child had to the doctor.
build your child’s imagination - books offer a great opportunity to add language that introduces
imaginary concepts to your child. Talking about topics like castles, ghosts, or pirates that your

child cannot experience in “real life” helps to build your child’s language, play, and thinking skills.
go beyond the “here-and-now” – go beyond the pages of the book to generate discussions with
your child that will expand her thinking. You can help your child predict what might happen (eg.
“What do you think will happen when the wolf tries to blow down the brick house?”), compare and
contrast (eg. “That dog is really small, just like your friend Jane’s dog”), talk about feelings (eg.
“That boy can’t find his ball. He looks sad”), and make connections with her experiences (eg.
“Remember when you lost your doll and you felt sad?”). These ways of talking encourage your
child to think, solve problems, and imagine.
Make a Book
A homemade book, created especially for your child, is sure to become one of your child’s favourites. By
following these guidelines, you will create a book together that will be interactive and fun:

Think about your child’s favourite things and outings – items can include photos of favourite
people or things, packages or labels from favourite foods or toys (eg. part of the Rice Krispies
box), or photos or small remnants from interesting places or outings (eg. a ticket stub from a
show, a stone collected from the playground, a photo of your child getting a haircut or swimming
in the lake, etc). If you follow your child’s lead and observe her interests, you will know exactly

what to include in the book.
Involve your child – your child can help you select pictures or objects, help you paste the

pictures into the book, and tell you what to write on the page underneath the picture.
Ensure that the written words make sense to your child – when your child is the one who
decides what to write on each page, you can be sure that the text is from her perspective and at
her level.
If you follow the guidelines above when you share books with your preschooler, you will probably notice
that your child:

enjoyed sharing books with you

paid attention for longer than usual

communicated back and forth with you so that the two of you had a conversation


started making connectons between books and her own experiences
incorporated themes from her books into her pretend play
Reprinted from:
http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Fun-Activities/Sharing-books-with-Preschoolers,-the-HanenWay.aspx
The Land of Make Believe: How and Why to Encourage Pretend
Play
By Lauren Lowry
Hanen Certified SLP and Clinical Staff Writer
The word "imagination" conjures up images of children
pretending with dolls, pushing dump trucks, or dressing up as princesses or pirates. While young children
do spend much of their time in the land of make believe, the imagination is not just reserved for children's
play. It is because of the development of the imagination during childhood that adults are able to do many
of the tasks that daily life demands. Adults constantly use their imagination to help them invent new
things, visualize, solve problems, enjoy a book or movie, understand others' perspectives, make plans,
come up with ideas, and think creatively. No wonder Albert Einstein felt that "imagination is more
important than knowledge"!
Therefore, using one's imagination is a critical cognitive skill that is used throughout life, and it is
important to encourage the imagination in childhood. But what is the connection between pretend play
and language?
The Connection Between Pretend Play and Language
Pretend play and language both involve the same underlying ability to
represent things symbolically.
Pretend play is also known as "symbolic play" because it involves the use of symbols. When we use
symbols, we use something to stand for something else. In the case of pretend play, children may use
one object to stand for another, such as pretending a spoon is a hairbrush, or a tablecloth is a cape. This
type of symbolic thought is also needed for language, as our words are symbols. Our words stand for our
thoughts and ideas. Therefore, pretend play and language both involve the same underlying ability to
represent things symbolically (Weitzman and Greenberg, 2002). It's no wonder children start to engage in
pretend play around the same time their first words emerge (between 12 to 18 months). Furthermore,
children who have language difficulties sometimes also struggle with pretend play.
Why Encourage Pretend Play?
There are many reasons why parents and caregivers should consider encouraging their child's pretend
play skills:

Your child will gain practice with using symbols. This strengthens the foundation for your child's
pretend skills and language skills.

Pretend play is an excellent way to expose your child to new vocabulary that he may not be
exposed to in everyday life, such as "pirate", "sword", "rescue", "castle", or "fairy".

When you pretend with your child, you will help him learn to play with others. Eventually, your
child will start to pretend with other children, where he will learn to take turns and collaborate.

When children take on a pretend role, they imagine what it is like to be another person. This helps
develop their ability to take others' perspectives and develop empathy.

Pretend play is fun! When you play like a child and let your imagination lead, you and your child
will never run out of things to play with or talk about!
How Pretend Play Develops
(adapted from Learning Language and Loving It, Weitzman and Greenberg, 2002)
In typical development, pretend play progresses through predictable stages. Children with developmental
delays may progress through these stages at a slower rate.
Self-pretend
(12-18 months) During this stage, children perform one pretend action at a time
on themselves, such as pretending to eat, drink, or sleep. Children tend to use
toys that look quite realistic (e.g. a plastic toy spoon) or real-life objects (e.g. a
real spoon).
Simple pretend
(18-24 months) Children at this stage perform simple pretend actions on toys or
people. Children continue to use realistic-looking toys at this stage. Examples of
simple pretend play include feeding a doll with a toy fork or making a toy airplane
"fly". Children also imitate familiar adult actions at this stage, such as pretending
to talk on a toy telephone.
Series of familiar
actions
(24-30 months) Just as children this age are learning to combine words together
to make little sentences, they are also learning to combine pretend actions
together. At this stage, children can act out a series of pretend actions related to
a familiar routine, such as the steps involved in eating or going to bed. For
example, the child may get out a toy bowl and spoon, pretend to pour cereal into
the bowl, add some milk, and serve it to a doll. Children can use less realistic
objects at this stage, as long as they are similar in shape to the real object. For
example, a toy ball could be used as an apple to feed a doll.
Series of less
familiar actions
(30-36 months) Less familiar themes enter children's play at this stage. They
may pretend about going to the doctor or being a waiter at a restaurant. Children
can pretend without an object (they can pretend their hand is a cup and drink out
of it). Children can also substitute objects that do not resemble the "real thing".
For example, a child can pretend a block is a garbage truck on its way to the
dump.
Role play with
other children
(3-5 years) Children pretend about imaginary themes now (things which do not
really exist or that the child hasn't experienced yet in real life), such as pirates,
castles, and superheroes. Children start to pretend with other children at this
stage, each taking on different roles during the play. Realistic objects and toys
are not needed as children can now pretend using gestures, mime, or unrealistic
objects. Language often drives the play at this stage. Children explain their roles
and use language to act out their role. For example, a child pretending to be a
doctor might say to another child "I'm the doctor, you be the patient, ok? Where
does it hurt?"
Encourage Pretend Play – The "Hanen" Way!
Playing the "Hanen" way means getting down to your child's level and playing like a child yourself. By
following the simple tips below, you will be stimulating your child's pretending skills and language, and the
two of you are sure to have fun in the process!

Be face-to-face (on the floor, across from each other at a table, etc). In this way, your child will

feel connected to you, and he will be able to see your face, gestures, and pretend actions.
Observe your child's interests. After you have put out a few pretend toys, watch and see what
catches his interest. If he picks up a toy phone, play with it. If he starts to push a truck, play

trucks. Your child will be motivated to play with you if you follow his lead.
Don't put out too many toys at once. This can be overwhelming to some children. Select a few

key toys that you think your child may like.
If your child doesn't know how to pretend yet - you might need to start off the play. Pick up a
toy your child likes and do one simple action yourself to give your child the idea. For example,
you could demonstrate some self-pretend (see above) by picking up a toy cup and pretend to
drink, saying "mmm…yummy juice". Then put the cup in front of your child and wait to see if he
imitates you. If he doesn't, that toy may not interest your child. Try to observe your child's

interests to determine if something else might be more interesting to him.
Imitate your child's pretend actions. Observe what your child does with his toys, and then
imitate his actions. This will likely motivate your child to do more pretend actions! Eventually, you
can try introducing a new but related action to the play. For example, if your child has been
pushing a dump truck, you can try adding some blocks to the back of the dump truck and
dumping them out. Do this once, then wait to see what your child does next.

Keep it simple. There's no need to introduce too many new pretend ideas at once. Children love
repetition and learn from it, so they will likely enjoy practicing any new pretend actions over and

over again.
Don't just watch from the sidelines – get "into" the play! It is easy to become a "narrator"
when playing with your child, and provide a play-by-play from the sidelines about what your child
is doing. A narrator says things like "Oh, you are feeding the baby. You are taking such good care
of your baby". If you have a toy in your hand and play yourself, it will ensure that you are "in" the
play and playing with your child, not on the outside providing narration. Being ‘in' the play gives

your child more chances to learn because it allows for more interaction and conversation.
Take turns. When children aren't pretending very much, it's easy to take over the play in an
attempt to show your child what to do. After you have done something with your toy, be sure to
pause and wait so that your child can have a turn to do something. In this way, your play together
will be a back-and-forth "conversation", in which each of you has a chance to say or do

something.
Introduce new ideas. For children who can link some familiar pretend actions together, the goal
is to encourage less familiar themes. For example, if a child enjoys pretending with vehicles, you
could introduce a less familiar theme by having the cars break down and taking them to the
mechanic. Or perhaps superheroes could drive the cars as they save the day! Or if a child enjoys
doll play, you could introduce the idea of a fairy coming to visit the doll, or maybe the doll could

visit a castle to see the princess.
Expose your child to new experiences. Every time you go somewhere new with your child, this
becomes the raw material for pretend play. A trip to the zoo can spark a whole new play theme
for your child. Books also allow you to introduce imaginary themes to your child which can be

incorporated into pretend play.
Choose the right toys. For ideas about selecting toys that encourage pretend play, read our
article "Toys that kickstart the imagination ".
By getting in touch with your own "inner child" and using your imagination, you will discover a new way to
connect with your child. When you follow your child's lead, you will learn more about your child and his
play interests. Your child will be very motivated to play with you in this way and feel very connected to
you. And while it may look to others like you two are just messing around with trucks on the floor, you are
really helping your child think symbolically and develop critical thinking skills that he will use throughout
his life.