For this Assignment, plan and implement a shared reading experience with the children in your care.

Infants/Toddlers Assignment Planning Form:

Reading Aloud with Infants and Toddlers: Read with expression. Label pictures. Add sound effects. Remember that you do not need to read the entire book or read it word for word.

How is your environment set up for reading with very young children? What changes can you make?

Pay attention to the child’s interest by attending to eye gaze and gestures. Use this opportunity to engage in joint attention with the child. Describe how you will do this:

Reading aloud with infants and toddlers provides rich opportunities to engage in serve and return interactions. Describe your understanding of using serve and return while reading aloud:

Pause and Try-It Out

Before continuing to complete the assignment, try your planned activity in your classroom. Note how it went and how the children responded and come back to finish answering the reflection questions.

Answer the following questions.

1. Reflect on your learning environment. How is it set up to foster shared reading?

2. What did you notice as you observed the children’s interest in books and reading?

3. How did you engage in joint attention as you read to the child(ren)?

4. Reflect on the serve and return strategy during read alouds with infants and toddlers. How will you continue to use this to support oral language development in your early care environment?