Bedtime Activity: 4 Years

Read to your child every night (and at various points throughout the day, too)! Allow your child to choose the book or books that you read to her. Create a balance between parent-read stories and “child-read” stories. Allow your child to “read” to you by retelling events and explaining pictures to you. Suggest that she ask you some questions about the story (encourage her to use who, what, how question words) and model how to answer them for her.

Possible Intervention Strategies & Supports

• If it is difficult for your child to settle down to sleep, you may find it helpful to give her a gentle massage while applying lotion after bath and before bed. Following this up by reading in a rocking chair or glider while she is wrapped in a blanket or heavier comforter can also help.

• Hold the book upside down when you start reading and see if your child notices! Point out that the binding of the book should be on the left. Also try pointing out page numbers in the book and where they are typically located. Before reading the book, count the pages by looking at the numbers or just turn to the last page and look at the number. Remember that it’s OK to be a little silly while reading books!

• Be sure to use books that allow for expression and different tones of voice during reading so you can begin to point out exclamation marks, periods, and question marks. Be sure to change the tone of your voice when you are reading sentences that end with different punctuation marks. Sentences with exclamation marks are always read with excitement!

• Reading the same story a few nights in a row is never a bad idea. This will strengthen story comprehension and help your child with answering simple questions. If your child doesn’t know the answer to a question, give her the words to express that. For example, tell her it’s OK to say “I don’t know.” This will help her feel less “on the spot” when she gets to the classroom and doesn’t know the answer. Just make sure she doesn’t always get out of answering questions by saying, “I don’t know!”

Tips

It is highly unlikely that your child will be literally reading at the age of 4. However, your child may think that she is reading as she follows words with her fingers and retells you a story. This is a natural progression in emergent literacy and should be encouraged.  Remember to keep reading as an enjoyable activity. It is great to ask your child questions, but sometimes she may just want to enjoy hearing you read a story to her!

Family Handout

Click here to download an editable one-page handout of this age range's bedtime activity, interventions, and tips.