Story time is not always a fairytale, unfortunately. Whether it be having trouble getting started reading, or trouble getting through an entire book, it can get chaotic, drawn out, and even off topic. Do you have a child who struggles with maintaining attention during story time? Or do you struggle making story time fun for your kiddos? Below is a list of tips to overcome this!
Remove Distractions
The set up of story time is important. Declutter the area, especially of really exciting things! This increases the likelihood that your child will attend to the story. Let's be real - Pop Its, Roblox, and our favorite light up toys are much more intriguing than books. Even I would prefer YouTube videos over a book, any day! These are all competing factors that steal your child's attention and make it difficult to pay attention during story time. The phrase, "Out of sight, out of mind," doesn't exist for no reason! You can even try changing the location of story time to where you know there are less distractions.
Read Dramatically
Get into character! Vary the tone or volume in your voice, add your own sound effects, and get your kid to try it, too! Realistically, varying intonations catch anyone's attention because there is a change in the environment that stands out from the typical stimuli. If the story is starting to sound dull or bland, add some flavor by being dramatic. You'll be sure to get their attention at some point! (Plus, it can be funny for a kid to watch their parent imitate the voices of all the animals in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?)
Pop Quiz!
Time to pause and ask some questions! You can tell if they're paying attention by throwing some in there. However, it is important to ask the right questions. First, determine what is developmentally appropriate to ask. Then, you guessed it, ask away. Questions can be as simple as, "What's that?" or, "Where is the ___?" Crank up the challenge by asking more difficult questions like, "What happened?" "How many ___ do you see?" or, "What do you think will happen next?" (or any variation of these wh- questions). If your child answers correctly, PRAISE, PRAISE PRAISE! If not, provide some additional clues before giving them the correct answer, THEN give TONS of praise!
Decontextualize
This looks like a big, scary word, but I promise it's easy to do. As a continuation of asking wh- questions like a "pop quiz," ask your child questions that connect the book to the real world. Relating the book to their own personal experiences makes reading more meaningful. Personally, if I can't in some way relate to the story, I become not interested. Imagine how a kid feels when they can't relate! Some questions you can ask or comments you can make are:
"[this event just happened]! Have you ever ___?"
"I [like/don't like] ___!"
"You ___ too! How else is ___ like you?"
"That looks like ___!"
"What does ___ remind you of?"
In short, find ways to help your child conceptualize the story outside of the context of the actual story for a deeper understanding.
Shorten the Book
Sometimes, honestly, books are long. And kids' attention spans are not. So then what do you do? Move quickly. Rephrase some sentences, skip less important words or concepts, and focus on the parts that you know your child would be interested in. Skipping entire pages works, as well! This avoids the inevitable agony of them sitting through a drawn out book, and you getting dry mouth from reading too many words. If you see your child becoming less and less motivated to finish the book, adjust the length. Vice versa, if your child wants you to read from cover to cover, no need to skip! That means you've done a great job keeping their attention for the duration of the book. You may even need to read it twice! Just make sure to keep a bottle of water next to you.
These five tips only scratch the surface of how to increase motivation, engagement, and understanding during story time. To recap, it is important to prepare for story time with the proper environmental set-up, adjust the reading using your voice and skipping techniques, and asking questions to deeper your child's understanding. What are some other techniques, or even challenges that you have with making story time a successful routine?
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