By Rinna Sanchez-Baluyut, Head Teacher
Our little reading nook is a beloved space for our children in the Twos classroom. They are drawn to the bookshelf, where they select a book from our vast collection, ease themselves into a rocking chair, and leaf through the pages. At other times, with great enthusiasm, children choose a book and eagerly hand it over to the teacher to read aloud. As soon as the teacher starts to read, many children gather closely, listening intently to the story. The children eagerly point out details they noticed in the book, ask interesting questions, make observations, and engage in conversations to deepen their understanding of the story. Children are so invested in this process, that they often go through several rounds of choosing and reading a book, oblivious of the time and immersed in the story.
Throughout the year, reading serves as a recurring and captivating theme for the children in the Twos class, embedded into our daily routine as a consistent source of joy and connection. The story time book is read repeatedly, giving children time to fully grasp and comprehend the story. Children delight in revisiting books that we read during story time; they retell the stories in their own words with enthusiasm and imagination. For instance, after reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats for story time, Mira selected the book from our bookshelf, sat down, and carefully began to read. Arriving on the page where Peter is searching for his snowball, Mira excitedly exclaimed, “Ball … empty! No more ball!” She then turned to the page where Peter walks in the snow and said, “Crunch, crunch, crunch!” Mira displayed her understanding of the storyline as she narrated her version of what transpires in the book. In another example, after repeatedly reading The Three Bears by Byron Barton, we heard many children narrate the story word for word, exhibiting their ability to recall and tell the story on their own.
By the end of the school year, when many of our 2-year-olds have turned 3, they demonstrate increased comprehension and vocabulary skills, critical thinking, imagination and creativity, and listening and literacy skills—just some of benefits children gain from reading books. To deepen the children’s collective love for reading, we carefully integrate various activities and extended story time elements.
Props
Incorporating props, such as stuffed animals, felt pieces, and large illustrations from the book provides an added visual dimension to the story. For instance, with I Really Want to See You, Grandma, by Taro Gomi, we enlarged the illustrations and used magnetic pieces to give the children a clearer visual of where Yumi and her grandmother live. By retelling the story with these movable, magnetic pieces, we hope they develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the story.
Bringing a Story to Life
Children love to bring a story to life by acting out what happens on the pages of a book. By impersonating a character, animal, or object in the story, they gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the story.
Baking/Cooking
When we read The Gingerbread Boy and The Little Red Hen (about a hardworking hen who bakes bread), the children got a chance to bake (and enjoy!) gingerbread cookies and pizza to more fully experience the process of making the baked goods we’d read about.
My Favorite Book
Two versions of The Gingerbread Man were read to the children—one by Richard Egielski and the other by Gail Yerrill—and they each chose which version they preferred for story time. The opportunity to select a version to read provides insight into the children’s preferences while also promoting independence and decision-making.
Art
Art activities foster the children’s connection to a book and nurture creative expression. For instance, children spray-painted hats for Caps for Sale, mixed colors at the water table and the art area as we read Mouse Paint, and used coffee filters and tissue paper to create colorful butterflies as we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Early Print Experiences
Making stapled, paperbound books and pencils available to the children, they explored making scribbles, markings, and early print, deepening their connection to reading and writing.
Offering children a diverse selection of books to read, extending stories in multiple ways, and integrating them into other areas of the classroom gives children numerous opportunities to dive deeper and gain a better understanding of the story while also instilling a joy of reading and fostering a lifelong love of books.