Draw and Tell
Read aloud one of your child’s favorite stories. Then hand them their color crayons and pieces of paper. As they begin to draw (or scribble), coax them to talk about what they’re drawing. The more they talk, the more they’ll draw. Questions such as ‘And then what happened?’ and ‘Now what is she doing?’ will encourage children to put their ideas in sequence. ‘Why’ questions will encourage them to think and to express ideas.
Use the same idea to hold your children’s attention while you tell the story. Illustrate this one yourself, perhaps writing a few key words on the drawings if your children are beginning readers. Children love watching a story unfold in pictures. Don’t worry about drawing well; stick figure characters can be distinguished from one another with an interesting detail — curly hair, moustache, shopping bag, red shoes and so on. You can make a quick succession of drawings or one large scene to which you keep adding details.
If your children are active, giving them paper and crayons will help keep their hands busy while you read a story aloud. The chances are the drawings will have something to do with the story, representing a character or action. Encourage your children to look up at the book illustrations before you turn the pages.