Language By: Ingrid Weland, Ed.D.
Have you ever wondered what the language program looks like in our Montessori program? Check out this link for a brief overview: Language in a Montessori environment
One way to help your child – through elementary school – is to read aloud. When your child is very young you are reading to them to build vocabulary, so they can hear the spoken word and so that they can connect pictures, words and the spoken language.
As your child matures, you will begin to read stories with beginning, middle and end. You will talk about the characters in the story. Continue to highlight new vocabulary. It is absolutely acceptable, and very important, to read books that are familiar to your child. When my children were little they loved the story, Goodnight Moon. By the 10th time we read it, we all knew it by heart. This is one important component of learning to read. Because they memorized the book, it does not mean they can read, but you are setting the foundation for reading.
Next, work on comprehension skills. Using any book you read to your child, think of comprehension questions you can ask. It’s easiest to start with the who, what, where, and why questions. Once your child has a good grasp on answering those questions, move on to higher level comprehension skills – questions that are open ended or that your child can relate another story or personal experience to that book. For example, what would you do if you had the same problem as the character in the story? We read the end of the story. What do you think might happen next?
As an example, let’s suppose you’ve read Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! to your child. Your child correctly answered questions about who was in the story, what happened, what was the beginning part, etc. Additional questions might be:
Who would you like to make a Valentine for and why?
Do you remember any other stories we’ve read where one character does something nice/kind for another character?
How do you think Mouse felt when he gave away his Valentine?
The list of questions is endless and we don’t want to overload a child with too many questions for one book. Our goal is to teach some life long skills, but to also cultivate a love of learning and reading.
Finally, as your child becomes more proficient, your reading time together can graduate to chapter books. When reading aloud, the level of difficulty can be one level above what they can easily understand – you are stretching them. If you’ve been reading to your child since they were very young, they may be ready for simple read aloud chapter books by the time they are in preschool. The Junie B. Jones series is about a kindergarten aged student with very short chapters. Plan to read one chapter per sitting. Another series that’s been around for a long time is the Frog and Toad series.
Have fun reading with your child – it’s one of the best gifts you can give your child!
