Take time to chat with your toddler about the ‘doing’ words you see and read about.
Most toddlers love being read to, often having the same books read time and time again. Books are fantastic for starting enjoyable and engaging conversations about actions, because they have so much to offer.
They are usually full of beautiful illustrations showing a range of different actions and activities – you’ll find loads of them to talk about as you read together.
The great thing about books is that your toddler will hear action words repeated in the stories you read, providing you with plenty of opportunities to help them learn about them – especially when it's the fifth time you've read the same book that day!
Although this doesn’t necessarily mean your toddler will understand all doing and action words right now, looking at pictures allows them to connect what they know to the scenarios they are seeing.[1]
It’s not all about sitting and listening though, actions are there to be enjoyed too
Your toddler’s growing knowledge of words can be enhanced by encouraging them to perform some of the actions for themselves.
They might enjoy pointing to and showing you who they think is running or jumping... you could even encourage them to go for a little run or jump themselves before coming back to the story.
Or try re-creating parts of the story together, so if someone is pushing a car, your toddler could bring the story alive by pushing one of their own cars while you read.
Digital books introduce things that move on every page, helping to reinforce actions and verbs
Your toddler might enjoy looking at books online and some research suggests that the animated graphics in e-books support understanding of verbs,[2] for example, when a rabbit jumps, your toddler will literally be able to see this happen and easily link the ‘doing’ word to the action. Although not everyone agrees on how effective this learning is,[3] and more research is needed, if your child enjoys digital stories, it’s one way to add to their experience.
If you do decide to offer e-books, balance the times you leave your toddler alone with them with the time you read to them. You can better support their understanding of words and verbs without all the distractions a digital book can bring.[2]
You don't have to limit yourself to chatting about the pictures you find in books – why not chat about the photos on your phone or a picture on a leaflet?
Pictures can entertain, inspire, educate and engage your toddler. They appear just about everywhere – from bus stops to birthday cards – and are a great way to get you both talking about the things you see happening.
We also love the idea of seeing actions that happen in real time; a picture can be created by gazing out of a window or even by sitting on a park bench and taking in the scene in front of you.
References:
[1] K. Read., J. Quirke. (2018) Rhyme and Word Placement in Storybooks Support High-Level Verb Mapping in 3- to 5-Year-Olds. Frontiers in Psychology.
[2] M. Barzillai, Mirit., J. Thomson. (2018). Children learning to read in a digital world. First Monday. University of Illinois at Chicago Library.
[3] O. Korat., Y. Falk. (2017). Ten years after: Revisiting the question of e-book quality as early language and literacy support. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy.