Storytime conversations – build confidence with repetitious words and phrases

What you need 

• A story that has words or phrases that repeat or are predictable.  

What to do 

1. Read the story together. 
2. When reading the repetitious parts, exaggerate the words or use a melodic way of reading them. 
3. Encourage your toddler to join in. 
4. They might join in with the tune of the words before they say any, and this is great. 
5. Make up actions to suit the words. So, if you are reading ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?’ you might pretend to be a bear then make your hands look like binoculars and place them over your eyes. 

Good to know 

Repetitive stories provide plenty of opportunities for your toddler to join in while it is being read. The words quickly become familiar, helping them to choose favourite parts of the story to participate in.