Why it’s important to read with preschoolers (3-5 years)

Reading, talking about books, sharing stories, and singing every day helps your child’s development in many ways.

Benefits of reading to your preschooler

• Helps your child learns new speech sounds, words, and talking and listening skills
• Builds your child’s literacy skills, ready for reading successfully at school
• Stimulates your child’s imagination
• Helps your child learn about the world, including stories and people from diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Develops your child’s social skills and skills for managing emotions
• Creates special time for you to bond with your child
• Sets your child up to do well at school
• Supports your child’s mental health

You can start reading to your child as early as you like – the earlier the better.

What to expect from reading with your preschooler

At 3-5 years, reading is all about having fun with books, making up stories, and spending special time with you.

At 3-4 years

• Pretending to read books by turning pages and saying familiar words
• Joining in when you sing familiar songs and nursery rhymes – for example, saying ‘Baa baa’ when you sing ‘Baa, baa, black sheep’

At 4-5 years

• Pointing out familiar letters, like the letters in their name
• ‘Reading’ books by reciting favourite stories from memory
• Retelling favourite stories in their own words

How to read with your preschooler

Follow your child’s lead

• Encourage your child to choose the books. Be prepared to read favourite books many times!
• Let your child choose how to read. Do they want to talk about the story and pictures? Listen quietly while you read? Or turn the pages and tell the story themselves?
• Be guided by your child’s interest. There might be days when your child doesn’t want to spend a long time reading, and that’s OK.

Introduce the book

Before you start, briefly ask your child some questions about the book:

• What do you think this story is about?
• Who might be in it?
• What do you think will happen?

Read the story

• Let your child turn the pages of the book.
• Vary the pace of your reading, as well as how loud you read. It can be fun to change your voice and expression for different characters and use gestures.
• Ask your child questions about the story. For example, ‘What do you think happens next?’, ‘Why is the baby happy?’ or ‘Who has the ball?’
• Ask your child questions that help them relate to the story. For example, ‘How would you feel if this was you?’ or ‘What would you do if this happened to you?’
• Chant or sing repetitive phrases and words together. For example, ‘I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down’.
• Encourage your child to repeat or fill in familiar words and phrases in a story that they know well. For example, ‘Out of the gate and off for a walk went Hairy Maclary from …’.
• Add information when your child asks a question. For example, your child might point to a bear and ask, ‘What’s that?’ You could say, ‘That’s a bear. It’s sleeping in its cave. Bears sleep all winter long’.
• Read, sing and tell stories with your child in whatever language you feel most comfortable speaking.

Look at letters and words

• Point out the differences between letters and words and the difference between a lower-case and capital letter. For example, ‘There is a capital M. Can you see how it’s bigger than this lower-case m?’
• When you see words printed in bold or large font, point these out and explain how this changes the way we say those words. For example, ‘Look at how big the word BOOHOO is. The baby must be crying very loudly’.
• Ask questions about the names and sounds of letters.
• Play ‘find the letters and words’ games, especially with the letters in your child’s name.
• Explain the meaning of any unusual words.

Try storytelling with your child

• Help your child make up stories and drawings to go with them.
• Make a story book together. Let your child choose the story or use your child’s own made-up stories and drawings.
• If your child can’t read words, encourage your child to tell you a story based on the pictures in a book.

Make the most of reading time with your child

• Make a routine and try to share at least one book every day.
• Create a comfortable, quiet reading space. It could have a box of books and soft cushions. Turn off the TV, radio and phones so your child can hear your voice and focus on the book.
• Hold your child close or on your knee while you read, so your child can see your face and the book.
• Try out funny noises and sounds – play and have fun!

When your child sees you reading and writing, you’re creating a home environment that develops literacy skills. Your reading and writing can be as simple as reading magazines or newspapers and writing shopping lists or messages for your partner or children.

What are the best books to read with preschoolers?

• Alphabet, shape, size and counting books
• Books that tell simple stories, especially ones with rhyme, rhythm and repetition
• Books about families, friends and going to school
• Books with characters who are about the same age as your child and characters who have quirky traits
• Books that use humour and have a sense of fun – for example, a character who uses a funny word, or who is silly or even ‘naughty’
• Books relating to your child’s interests – for example, books about dinosaurs, fairies, sport, animals, stars, the ocean, inventions, food or travels around the world

Ebooks can be handy, especially if you’re travelling or away from home. If your child wants to read ebooks, read them together and choose stories without distracting animations or games. It’s best if ebooks don’t replace paper books. And it’s important to balance screen time and digital technology use with other activities.

Book recommendations for preschoolers

Here are books for you and your child to explore. Many of these books have the rhymes, rhythms and repetition that preschoolers love.

Books about animals

• An Australian 1, 2, 3 of animals by Bronwyn Bancroft
• An Australian ABC of animals by Bronwyn Bancroft
• Bat vs Poss by Alexa Moses
• The Hairy Maclary series by Lynley Dodd
• Koala Lou by Mem Fox
• Let’s get a pup by Bob Graham
• Owl babies by Martin Waddell
• Possum magic by Mem Fox
• Squish rabbit by Katherine Battersby
• The very hungry caterpillar by Eric Carle

Books about children, families and everyday life

• Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day by Judith Viorst
• Aussie toddlers can by Magabala Books
• Billy and the blue bike by Ambellin Kwayaullina
• Going to the footy by Kamsani Bin Salleh
• Maddy’s first day by Penny Matthews
• Me and my dad by Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina
• Our library by Donna Rawlins
• Za-Za’s baby brother by Lucy Cousins

Books with quirky characters

• Mum’s elephant by Maureen Jipiyiliy Nampijinpa O’Keefe
• Naughty agapanthus by Barbara Macfarlane
• The Olivia series by Ian Falconer
• When Billy was a dog by Kirsty Murray

Books about the world

• A is for Australia by Frané Lessac
• Are we there yet? by Alison Lester
• Early learning big book of Australian nature by Steve Parish
• Heads and tails: insects by John Canty
• Sea country by Aunty Patsy Cameron and Lisa Kennedy
• The rice bag hammock by Shaeeza Haniff
• The wheels on the bus by Penny Dann

For more story ideas, let storyteller Anne E. Stewart introduce you and your child to ‘Mook Mook the owl’, ‘The crocodile’ and ‘The old lady and the mosquito’.

Why it’s good to take your preschooler to the library

You can join your local library and borrow books for free.

Also, library staff will be able to recommend books for you and your toddler to enjoy. Many libraries also offer free story time sessions for toddlers and their parents or carers.

Why not try out our library activities with your child?

If your child attends child care, kindergarten or preschool, you could talk to your child’s educators to get ideas for books and reading. Some preschools let children borrow books each week or bring a special book from home to share with the group.