As a parent, it’s important to embrace reading to your child. Reading is an important way to explore language and connect objects with words. Especially for a child with speech delay, it is an important tool to help in speech development.
Again, it is important to start cultivating a reading culture for your child as early as possible. Research has shown reading every day to your child helps to expose them to almost 1.4 million more words by the time they join kindergarten, compared to their counterparts who are not read to consistently.
Buying Guide- Speech Delay Books for Toddlers
You need to pay attention to several things before getting the best book for your toddler. However, if your child doesn’t like reading books you should not force him/her.
Choose a Book with a Story and Meaning
Reading a book with a meaningless story will be boring for you and your child. Hence not being of any benefit to your child. Again, reading longer books for your child during the first months will help to build their attention.
Choose the Right Book
This is the first set to developing the skills you want. In case your child is not talking, go for books with bilabial sounds. They can see and imitate how you move your lips to pronounce them. Making it easy to imitate.
Choose a Book with Repetitive Phrases
Reading books with repetitive phrases helps your child to take part during story time. As you read allow your child to read the whole line or complete the repetitive part. With time these words may become daily vocabularies.
Rhyming Books
Books that contain rhyming words, help children with word prediction. Which is very crucial for reading development. Once your child is used to the rhyming words, allow them to fill the blank spaces or complete incomplete sentences.
Wordless Picture Books
Get these books if your child has a more developed language but has difficulty while providing descriptions and details. However, describe the pictures to make sense of the story. You can also use books with texts but have detailed pictures. Meanwhile, cover the text with your hand if your child can read and ask your child to describe the pictures.
Top 5 Speech Delay Books for Toddlers
1. Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
This is a great book for your child’s speech development. No doubt this book is delightful with colorful imagery. So as you read it to your child, he/she is engaged with the pictures.
The author; Karen Katz uses fictional common words while exposing your child to vivid adjectives. The book has repetition and simple sentences so your child will catch up easily.
2. If you give a mouse a cookie by Laura Numeroff
Your toddler will love this amazing book with mouse antics and limited texts on the pages. The book characters are repeated so your child will be able to understand the scenes and words faster. Also, the book has many opportunities for conversation; as you discuss the mouse.
3. That’s not my puppy by Fiona Watt.
If you have a toddler with speech delay, consider getting her any of the “that’s not my…” series. In particular, the book has a variety of textures and sensory opportunities. Also, your child will get to mimic the repeated wording during their own daily routines.
The book has enriched adjectives with basic vocabulary and less paraphrasing. Making it easy for your child to understand and mimic.
4. First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
This book is a must-have for any toddler parent more so one with speech delay. The book has colorful pictures with only the object word. This helps the child to understand what they hear with the help of the pictures.
Also, your toddler will be able to make real-world connections with the real features. So your child will learn speech by relating the words they hear with the pictures.
5. Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
Believe it this is a fabulous book for toddlers with speech delays. The book has colorful pictures, texts, and interesting antics to keep toddlers participating in the story. Sandra Boynton in this book gives the featured animals verbs with their activities. The book also has fewer texts, so your child will show interest in the illustrations while listening.
In conclusion, we have discussed what to consider while getting your toddler a book. We have also highlighted the top five picks for the most effective books for speech development.
However, any book with fewer/ repeated texts, colorful pictures, and conversation opportunities will be the best book for toddlers. The most important thing is their vocal exposure.
