Narrative skills is being able to describe things and events and tell stories. Talking with children helps them develop comprehension skills. Being able to tell or retell a story helps children understand what they read.
Birth to two:
-
Talk to your child about what you are doing.
-
Tell your child stories.
-
Encourage your toddler to tell you about things. Listen patiently and ask questions.
-
Read favorite books again and again.
Two- and three-year-olds, all of the above plus:
-
Ask your child to tell you about something that happened today.
-
Read books together. Stories help children understand that things happen in order first, next, last.
-
Read a book that you have read before. Switch what you do - you be the listener and let your child tell you the story.
Four- and five-year-olds, all of the above plus:
-
Listen to your child carefully when he talks.
-
Ask your child to tell you about a picture he drew.
-
Ask "what" questions. Point to a picture and say, "What's that?" or "What is happening here?"
-
Add to what your child says. If your child says, "big truck" then you say, "Yes, a big red fire truck."
-
Ask open-ended questions like, "What do you think is happening in this picture?"
-
Help your child relate what is happening in the story to her own experience, for exmple, "What happened when we went on a picnic?"
