Time for a Picture Book Walk
Book Walks are a great idea to do with children when you are trying to build their confidence with speech. It allows them to share their thoughts on something where there are no wrong answers. Once you have selected a picture book, share the front cover of the book. Let them take some time to look at the illustration. Give them time to make inferences about what the story is about based on the front of the book. Next, guide them through the book one page at a time. Ask them to tell you in their words what the story is about. What do they think is happening based on the pictures? This actively engages them in the process and gives them some control of the conversation. If the child is comfortable with you, you may ask them questions. Ask them if they have ever done this at home, or do they have traditions that are like this. Think about ways to highlight their cultural identity and multilingual families. Once finished with your book walk, you can read the book. At the end, compare the book walk talk to what actually happened with the words from the author.
Books will open up a great pathway for future sessions. You can make crafts, work on vocabulary, and use them as conversation starters. Picture book walks can also be used to model a task that will be done by the child in later sessions to promote use of their skills.