How to Read Rhymes Out Loud for the Very Young
- 1). Select books or poems with repetitive structures such as Mother Goose or Dr. Seuss. Read through the book by yourself and make sure that it uses themes and references that are appropriate for your child.
- 2). Sit with your child. Make sure that she can see the book clearly as you read. Follow your eyes with your finger as you read so your child can begin associating the sound of your voice with the printed words on the page.
- 3). Emphasize the rhyming words at the end of each line by changing the tone of your voice and the speed that you read it. Encourage your child to say the rhyming words with you as you both read through the stories. Pause before a rhyming word, especially after your child has begun saying them with you, to give him a chance to remember the word.
- 4). Use a few of the rhymed words in your daily life as you speak to your child. Show her how to use the words outside of the story as well as continually reinforcing their use within the story.
- 5). Reinforce the works regularly by bringing them into other areas of your life. Select movies based on the stories you have been reading to your child or encourage him to act out a few of the stories for you and your spouse. Use food as another reinforcement, such as hard boiling some eggs and letting your child paint one as Humpty Dumpty.
