8 Tips for Reading Violet Shrink Aloud Together
Read ahead
- Pre-reading the book can help you to understand the rhythm of the text, identify any unfamiliar words and identify places in the story where you can pause and talk about the story.
Find a comfortable space
- Being in a cozy place turns reading time into family time and helps create positive feelings about reading.
Be yourself
- You don’t have to be an expert or an entertainer. Be authentic and your little reader will appreciate both the book and the time you spend together reading it.
Take time to look at the pictures
- Illustrations help tell the story, so be sure to explore and talk about what is happening in the pictures.
Ask questions
- Encourage curiosity and ask questions together. It is okay if you don’t know the answers; you can talk about possibilities and guess what the answer might be.
- Take the opportunity to make connections to your family, community and the world around you.
Talk about feelings
- In the book Violet has lots of feelings! Explore those feelings together and talk about each other’s feelings.
- You can ask, “When do you feel anxious?” Or you can share, “I feel anxious when …”
- Violet is brave when she tells her dad that she doesn’t like parties. Ask your youngster about a time they felt brave and share a time that you were brave.
You don’t have to finish all at once
- Reading should be fun. If your child is distracted or you are short on time, take a pause and return to the story later.
Re-read
- Reading the same book over and over is comforting for children.
- You can focus on different elements of the story each time. In Violet Shrink, there are opportunities to explore many themes: likes and dislikes, imagination games, family dynamics, feelings, anxiety, mind and body connections, different words with the same meanings, self-advocacy, and so much more!
Sharing a story together is a wonderful way to connect with the children in your life. It is also a great way to set them up for success in reading and in life!
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