Is My Child Too Old For Picture Books?
I often hear parents and children telling me that their goal is to read chapter books. For some reason people think a longer book is a “better” book. As children get older they shy away from picture books but there is still a lot of value in reading picture books with your children. So if you are asking yourself: Is my child too old for picture books? The answer is: NO!
Below are some of the benefits of reading picture books with your child.
Pictures: One of the most important things that a picture book has is pictures! The pictures allow your child to visualize the story. They can see how the author matches the words to the illustrations. This is important because as children get older and the pictures disappear from their chapter books they’ll need to learn how to make the picture in their head. Sometimes I will not even read the words to the child and have them make up their own story just based on the pictures.
Story Arch: Most picture books have a typical story arch that includes setting the scene, rising actions, a climax, falling actions, and a resolution. This is important for children of all ages to understand. As your child gets older you can read more complicated picture books with nuanced plot but the story arch remains the same.
Vocabulary: Picture books are filled with rich vocabulary. Picture books have richer vocabulary than you realize. You can have your child find words they don’t know or even show them what you do when you don’t know what a word means.
Comprehension Checks: If your kiddo is someone who has trouble understanding stories reading a picture book with them will be so helpful for them. You can pause and ask questions to your child or you can think out loud as you read. See my other blog post on questions and comments to make when you read with your child here.
Most importantly picture books are fun! At the end of the day the goal is always to make reading fun for children so they become lifelong readers.
