Using Children’s Literature to Support Language Development
Laura Elliott Adams, M.S., CCC-SLP
My mother was the head librarian at the Hillsdale Library in San Mateo. From an early age, I would spend entire days at the library. My “babysitter” was a good book in the cozy corner where the kid-sized ladybug table stood. “Ladybug, ladybug fly away home….” it called to me with the sentence written in the bubbly childlike font swirling to the middle of the table. Who was that ladybug and where was her home? I wanted to know because those words put that picture into my mind. Books and the written word were my links to all the possible worlds out there. In college, I was a bookseller at the mall’s ubiquitous Waldenbooks (when bookstores and malls were ubiquitous!) and at an indie children’s bookstore, Giant Steps Books and Toys. As an adult, I have always made sure I am walking or at least biking distance from a good indie bookstore (Kepler’s and Bookshop Santa Cruz, I’m talking about you in particular!)
One can easily infer: Laura loves books.
I’d love to say, “Who doesn’t?” The reality is that for people with some types of communication disorders, language can be a lot of work. It’s hard to visualize what is being read. It’s challenging to synthesize and recall all those words and images. Imagine figuring out new vocabulary words using context cues when the vocabulary, syntax and grammar gaps resemble a slice of Swiss cheese. By the time the end of a complex sentence comes around, recalling the subject or even the main idea can be lost in a vague fog. These are some of the reasons our clients simply may not gravitate to books.
This is why I use books as much as possible in speech-language therapy. Many of my clients are used to my visual schedule that starts with “Let’s Talk” and the second item is usually “Read a Book” (or two!) Many of my upper elementary to high school clients learn to share my enthusiasm over the brilliant imagery in the introductory sentences of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (for Talk Like a Pirate Day) and Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (for Halloween).
Here are a few tips I have learned over the years on how to encourage language skills using books.
1. Start early
At the bookstore, I often recommended those puffy bath time plastic books. Books are fun (and some are even
waterproof….magic!) Even just holding books leads to early literacy skills such as orienting to pictures in a book
and figuring out which way books open and pages turn. I have even been known to stack chunky books in therapy
and watch children giggle as the best block tower ever tumbles to the floor (and then we put them back on the
shelf so we can see all the pictures on the spines).
2. Don’t be afraid to modify text.
In the early years, skills such as joint attention, commenting and labeling can develop while pointing to pictures in
books. “I like that bear.” “Look at those silly shoes.” “Let’s count the animals.” “I see 3 things that are green.” For
some clients, I skip the text all together and may label one image per page. I sometimes even switch all the verb
tenses just to work on a specific goal. Long sentences can easily be pared down to a few simple words: “The girl
walked there. She went in. No one was home. Mmmm, yummy food.” Goldilocks 2.0 for speech therapy.
3. Make books fun, not “drill” time.
It’s so great to have a conversation about a book and teaching this skill early is valuable. Kids don’t like to see books
as work and parents don’t either. While a few conversational questions are great, I think the key is keeping it
conversational. Instead of “20 questions” of “what is that?” a more natural perspective taking exchange may
encourage more conversation: “I see a cat here. What do you see?” Never underestimate the power of a rhetorical
statement: “I wonder where the dog is.” That’s not even a question, but it may be an introduction to a fun game
within a book!
4. Play with language. Think of language as the best toy ever.
The best way to learn key phonological skills is to play with words. Sing the words. Manipulate the sounds within the words. Rhyming books and repetitive books, poems, and songs are critical for solidifying this skill. If a child learns to read without having a solid phonological foundation, they can be at risk for language and reading challenges in the future. Yes, a child can learn to identify letters and to read words at a very young age. However, they absolutely need to spend time understanding the meaning of the sounds behind those letters. They need to strengthen auditory memory skills to hold on to long strings of those sounds. Dr. Seuss understood this. Eric Carle understood this. Countless of other authors, poets, and songwriters have understood this since before the first pen was put to paper. Ask a librarian or bookseller and they will certainly have long lists of resources. Fun tip: there are hundreds of children’s songs put into book form.
5. Spend time visualizing the setting in stories.
This is where history and geography come into play. When I work with clients on narratives, I have an atlas and sometimes even a history timeline on hand. They learn to build a rich picture of the setting to help solidify the imagery of the narrative. What was the technology like? What were they wearing? What was the weather or terrain like? This helps with visualization of characters and setting which leads to stronger inferencing skills critical to auditory or reading comprehension of a narrative. Even my preschool clients learn setting with simple stories that take place in a forest or a desert
6. Acknowledge the magic of words.
This is something that can start with preschoolers (B.J. Novak’s brilliant The Book With No Pictures proves my point.) My older clients are used to me waxing poetic about the power of human language. It is sobering to take a step back and think of the incredible skill humans have to take sounds (phonemes), and put them into words. This ultimately leads to our ability to have a window into the mind of someone not standing next to us or even long since gone. Yes, I go there when discussing the perspective of an author when working with middle-high schoolers. Our clients all have amazing ideas to share, and I want them to know that words are the way they can let us know exactly what they are thinking. We may get future authors as a result.
7. Have a positive concluding statement about the experience of reading together.
If a child hasn’t nodded off to a bedtime story (or even if they have), give a nice concluding statement such as “Thank you for reading this with me.” “That was a fun/interesting/silly book!” “I really liked reading with you!” This reinforces the cherished social ritual of sharing books and also may acknowledge that the child accomplished something that may have been very difficult or daunting to them. It’s excellent conversational skill development.
I truly enjoyed sharing these ideas with you. Thank you for your time in reading this.