What is Shared Book Reading and Why It Matters for Your Child

Kids Inspired
8 hours ago
2 min read

As parents, we know reading to our children is important—but did you know that how you read can make a big difference in your child’s language and literacy development? One approach that speech pathologists often use is shared book reading.

What is Shared Book Reading?

Shared book reading is more than just reading words off a page. It’s an interactive experience where an adult and child engage together around a book. During this time:

The book becomes a shared focus of attention.
The adult encourages the child to respond, creating a conversation beyond the story itself—this is known as extratextual talk.
Through this interaction, children develop critical language and literacy skills, guided by supportive prompts and strategies.

Speech pathologists use shared book reading to help children strengthen their language, literacy, and communication skills in a fun, engaging way.

Skills Targeted Through Shared Book Reading

1. Oral Language

Shared book reading helps children:

Learn new vocabulary and understand the meaning of words.
Improve listening comprehension.
Retell stories and participate in narratives.

For example, a speech pathologist might:

Encourage your child to think of synonyms (words with similar meanings).
Discuss the category a word belongs to.
Use new words in a sentence or relate them to personal experiences.
Explore vocabulary about emotions, such as “angry” or “excited.”

2. Phonological Awareness

Shared reading helps children develop awareness of sounds in language, including:

Rhyming
Blending and segmenting phonemes, syllables, and words

3. Print Knowledge

Children also gain early literacy skills, such as:

Recognizing letters and words
Understanding how print works, which supports reading and writing development

Strategies Used by Speech Pathologists

To make shared book reading even more effective, speech pathologists often use structured strategies such as:

PEER Sequence:

Prompt – Invite your child to say something about the story.
Evaluate – Listen and evaluate their response.
Expand – Add information or model the correct language.
Repeat – Encourage your child to try again using the new language.

CROWD Prompts:

Completion – Ask your child to finish a sentence from the story.
Recall – Encourage your child to remember details.
Open questions – Ask questions with more than a yes/no answer.
Wh-questions – Who, what, where, when, why questions.
Distancing questions – Connect the story to your child’s own experiences.

Benefits of Shared Book Reading

When done interactively, shared book reading can:

Boost vocabulary and oral language skills
Support early literacy and narrative development
Foster a love of reading and learning

By simply engaging with your child while reading, you can make a lasting impact on their language and literacy journey.

References:

Murphy, K. A., Pentimont, J. M., & Chow, J. C. (2022). Supporting children’s language and literacy through collaborative shared book reading. Intervention in School and Clinic, 58(3), 105345122210812. https://doi.org/10.1177/10534512221081218

Noble, C., Cameron-Faulkner, T., Jessop, A., Coates, A., Sawyer, H., Taylor-Ims, R., & Rowland, C. F. (2020). The impact of interactive shared book reading on children’s language skills: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 63(6), 1878–1897. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00288