Reading a book together can be a great way of learning English for both parents and children, but can be challenging for both. This article gives ways to deal with the 14 most common questions about the what, when and how of using storybooks together.
I’m not sure which books to read with my child
The best books obviously vary a lot from child to child, but generally the most popular books with English-speaking kids (Where’s Spot, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, etc) tend to be the most popular with everyone. If you can find a library or bookshop with a selection of English books, the best thing is to let your child browse for as long as they like and choose the ones that they are most drawn to. If there is no such place that you can reach, you can do something similar by spending an hour or so watching read throughs and animated versions of picture books online, then buy the ones that your child is happy to watch again.
The books that my child chooses seem too difficult/ don’t seem to have much useful language in them
As long as the child isn’t complaining or losing motivation, you shouldn’t worry about this too much, as being motivated to read is the most important thing. Ways of keeping that interest but making the language easier and/ or more useful include easier books with the same characters, reading the same story again and again, and simplifying the language while you read.
English books that are easy enough for my child are too babyish
This is a common problem that also comes up with children who are behind academically in their own language. There are some easy books which are charming at any age, but not that many. Readers for language learners and other school readers are better for this, but tend to be less interesting. Being interested and motivated is the most important thing, so it best to go with the easiest thing that they enjoy and then use the related tips above to simplify the story.
I don’t think that I can read English books to my child well
Ways of preparing to read in an interesting way, with good pronunciation, etc, include reading through with a dictionary and checking difficult words beforehand, and watching YouTube videos of other people reading the same book. You could also transition between the two by flicking through the book with the audio in the background the first few times, then move onto reading it yourself.
My child insists that I translate almost everything
You need to resist this at least partly, as the inevitable next step is then moving to wanting just their own language. Possible tactics include mainly reading books that they know the story of already (because the story is traditional, they have already read them in their own language, they are based on other media such a movie, etc), and getting them to look up translations for themselves.
My child wants to just read the same English book again and again
This is natural even in children’s first language, and probably even more useful in a language that they otherwise don’t often hear. However, if they have read it so many times that they really are learning nothing new and will probably remember it forever without more repetition, you might be able to persuade them to move onto a book with the same characters, with the same illustrator, etc. Alternatively, they might be willing to try other stories through YouTube videos, and then hopefully like one of those enough to want to read that one too or instead.
My child used to be happy to read English books together but now is rejecting them
This is not only common but in fact the normal pattern, similar to how kids who have different languages outside the home will tend to start speaking that at home too. It is worth trying with some age-appropriate materials and/ or something they can read on their own such as something including a favourite cartoon character or comics, but then you’ll just have to wait until they are ready to come back to it.
As with many things that kids reject, they are likely to feel nostalgic about it and come back to it later (sometimes much later). It would therefore be a good idea to keep the books where they can still access them when they are ready, such as on a shelf in the living room (as they will probably want them out of their bedroom if they are rejecting them).
My child just looks at the pictures without really listening to the English story/ doesn’t ask what any of it means
Children tend to start with way in their own language too, but then pay more attention to the words each time as they understand more and more. Rather than pushing them to listen more carefully, you should make sure that they get lots of other access to English through songs, videos, etc, so that they can understand more of the stories each time. However, once they understand a reasonable amount, you could try taking away the pictures by playing a podcast of someone reading the same story while you are eating breakfast, driving, etc.
It feels weird to use English with my own child
This tends to feel less weird (for the child and parents) if you start very young, also do other things in English like watch videos together, have a specific period to communicate in English such as ten minutes before dinner each day, and/ or watch other non-native speakers reading such books on YouTube. It may also help to have English books be part of a collection of books which have a range of different languages more generally, such as some in a local dialect or different languages that their grandparents speak.
I’m happy to read books in English, but it feels strange to chat in English too
It’s good to try to read an English book without using L1, for example by asking in English what might happen next. However, you shouldn’t push yourself too much with this, especially if it makes the whole experience less pleasant. The first step could be mixing up chatting in L1 with questions which are similar to those in book, e.g. adding “Who was that?” to the “Who is this?” in the book.
My child won’t talk about the book in English
This is normal, especially with someone who the child usually speaks L1 with such as a parent. The best approach is to accept L1 answers to English questions, perhaps rephrasing it back in English, then do other more natural English speaking like singing along to catchy children’s songs.
Only one of us feels comfortable reading in English with our child
As long as that person doesn’t resent this, it is actually probably the best system for one parent to be the English books parent and the other to read just books in their own language, as children will mix the two languages up less that way.
We often fall asleep when we are reading English books
That can be very welcome at bedtime! However, you might get into the habit of all English bringing on sleep, so you should also make sure to make time for English at less sleepy times. If the same thing continues to happen in the morning, in the early evening, etc, then think about changing to books which are easier and/ or more exciting.
My child still gets me to read English for them/ My child won’t start reading English themselves
You shouldn’t push this too much if you want English to still be fun, but you can transition to it by getting them to read just key words like the names of the animals that appear on each page, the day of the week that comes up next, and the exciting conclusion on the last page. It may also help to use stories with repeated structures and/ or books that they already know quite well so they can combine using their memory and reading the words that they haven’t memorised yet.