Children love to turn the page before you finish reading, interrupt the story by naming things they can see, and sometimes close the book entirely. But are children doing it wrong? Or could we learn something from them?

To answer this, it helps to know where your child is in their development. Are they at the point of understanding a whole story, or are they still learning their first words?

If your child is still learning their first words, you might not have to worry about finishing the whole story or saying all the words in a book. If your child is not able to understand long sentences, it may be more helpful for you to simply describe what the pictures show, using simple sentences that they can understand and repeat after you.

If your child is starting to use sentences, listen to what they are saying about the book, and build on these words. For example, if your child says “That tree is big”, you can add words like “That tree is SO big” or “That tree is huge!”

If your child communicates well and you have an eye towards school readiness, focus on the characters, what they’re doing and how they’re feeling. Ask simple questions like “Are they happy or sad?” You can also start to talk about the beginning, middle and end of the story.

Children read best when their spoken language is strong. So while they are in preschool, don’t worry about reading all the words in a book. Focus on the best way to teach your child how to describe things in their own words.