Reading books is a pivotal part of a kid’s learning and development. Books not only provide entertainment; they are a learning tool that educators and parents use to help a child develop reading and language skills. Even in the era of smartphones, online games, and apps, educators and reading experts have emphasized the importance of books. 

What is Dialogic Reading? 

When it comes to reading and understanding books, how we read them is just as pivotal as how often it is read. Adults take charge of the reading part in most cases while the child listens. It is the adults that are the main storytellers. 

In a strategy called dialogic reading, adults encourage kids to become storytellers. In this strategy, the adults will begin out by reading the story, but over the course of storytelling, will encourage the child to take charge. The adult will ask questions, make clarifications, and listen as the child tells the story. 

Here are some steps to follow to do dialogic reading effectively:  

1. Provide prompts. Ask the child to say something about the book or story. 
2. Listen and evaluate the kid’s response.
3. Expand. The teacher or parent will encourage the child to say more about the response. This can be done by making a clarification, rephrasing the kid’s statement, or adding to it. 
4. The teacher will repeat the prompt to check what the child has learned. 

This strategy is most effective when done on every page or every other page. Each time a book is read, the teacher or parent will consciously do less and less talking. They will only talk to give prompts. 

There are different types of prompts when using dialogic reading. Here are some examples: open-ended prompts, recall prompts, completion prompts, distancing prompts (prompts that encourage the child to find connections between the book and real-life experiences), and wh-prompts (who, what where, when). 

Why it Works

Dialogic reading is just having a conversation about a book–when reading a book, the teacher or parent will give prompts to the child. The child will respond to the prompts while processing the info that has been read. Adults should mix up the prompts used to keep the child engaged. 

Practicing dialogic reading lets kids get ahead with language development by constantly practicing the skills of reading, speaking, and comprehension. This exercise also allows the child to build confidence in speaking up and engaging in conversations.