It’s storytime, kids!

Storybooks fire the imagination of three-year-olds, provided the books are selected according to their developmental level. Even if they can’t read now, they have built a repertoire of spoken language skills to aid them in understanding short stories on close family, and familiar animal themes narrated by their mums.

Once your three year-old loves the storybook you bought for her, she will then cajole you into reading it aloud for the umpteenth time! Each time, she will listen with rapt attention, but squeal in delight, and show animated expressions whenever she encounters portions she likes. Further, she may narrate some of the dialogue and funny words or rhyme, along with you as she has mastered them by now.

As a fond and alert mum, you may want to ignite the love for storybooks in your preschooler, especially as it contributes towards many facets of her learning.

Key benefits for preschooler

• The child’s concentration is increased as she listens to the story narration with rapt attention.
• The child learns day to day vocabulary, and gains many new concepts for example she may learn about a hut or a preschool.
• Her memorising skills are increased when she masters snippets of dialogue, and rhymes or jingles.
• She also gets opportunities to feel or express a gamut of emotions when she identifies with or dislikes the characters in the story, as the case may be—humour, sadness, empathy, sympathy are some of the examples.

• She will also pick up some positive behaviours such as holding mum’s hand while crossing the road, sharing with others and so on by identifying with the positive characters in the story.
• In some cases, your child may also learn a few problem-solving beaviours. For instance, how to keep your puppy warm in winters.

Selecting picture story books for preschoolers

• Age appropriate book

1. Check the two covers to see which age group the book addresses.

2. Its sturdiness and size should enable the child to handle it by herself.

• Storyline details

1. Is the language simple and sentences short?

2. Are there some funny words, sentences or rhymes that get repeated throughout the story

3. Is it an appropriate theme and the characters familiar to the child? For instance, how a lost kitten manages to find his owner (a little girl)

4. Does the story have a happy ending?

Take your preschooler with you when you go shopping for her picture storybook, as she will give you first hand information about her likes and preferences.