top 10 ways to talk to kids about books

Sometimes it’s all we can do to just read with our kids.

And honestly? That counts. Big time. So we should be happy if we’re reading with our kids. Woot!

But it’s also the talking with kids about the books that really packs a punch. The payoffs are huge for kids in terms of reading comprehension skills, listening skills, speaking skills, and more.

Not to mention by talking to our kiddos about books, we’re helping them to develop a longtime love and appreciation for reading. And we all want that, right? Right.

So here are the top 10 ways to talk to kids about books so you have them in one happy place for your summer reading pleasure.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Top 10 Ways to Talk to Kids About Books: Get ready. It’s life changing.

1. Make connections. Make connections between kids and characters in the book. Make connections between what happens in the book and what has happened in your life. Make connections between what happens in the book and what happens in the world around you.

2. Make predictions. Get kids thinking about what will happen in the book before they read.

3. Activate schema. Use what kids already know to talk about topics in the book. Get their brains moving before the reading begins.

4. Ask questions. Model strong questioning by thinking aloud as you read. Talk about your questions and show your child how asking good questions helps them to better understand what they read.

5. Go on a book walk. Sometimes, reading doesn’t have to be reading every word on every page. Book walks are a great way to talk about the book–without reading it.

6. Make inferences. Bring together big concepts by using what you know, what you read, and what you think will happen in the book.

7. Think deeply. Kids can really surprise you if you aim high. Show them how to think deeply about what they read by asking hard questions and modeling critical thinking.

8. Look at the book’s print. Talk about the print in the book, the layout, the words on the page.

9. Talk about the pictures. Use the illustrations to pull together ideas, discuss the illustrator’s craft, and to strengthen comprehension.

10. Visualize. Make mind movies, images in the mind. Visualizing is one of the key components of comprehension; if kids can visualize, they’re most likely understanding what they read!

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This post is part of the School’s Out: A Top 10 Series by KBN, where over 25 Kid Bloggers from the Kid Blogger Network are sharing Top 10 Ideas to do with your children over your School Break! Many thanks to Becky from This Reading Mama for organizing the series and to Kim from The Educators’ Spin On It for setting up the collaborative Pinterest board. Here’s the Schedule of what’s coming this week: