Are there books that can help young children develop their language skills? In Smart Parenting Village, a virtual community for Filipino parents, a mommy sought the recommendations of parents for her child with speech delay.
Thanks to the power of community, any parent who is going through or has gone through the same experience can provide insight. And it helps parents not to feel so alone in their parenting journey.
“Book recommendations for a (turning) 4yo with speech delay? He knows the alphabet very well and I can see na kinakapa niya basahin because he knows the phonics,” asked an anonymous Villager.
What other parents are reading
Immediately, fellow parents and the village shared the books they used with their kids plus why they recomend it:
Parent-recommended books for young children's language development
1. Dr. Seuss Books
“Dr. Seuss books are nice because they have repetitive language like the Foot Book, Cat in the Hat, etc.,” Myrna Villanueva-Tinio shared. Trish Engle Eblasin and Car Sayo also agreed with Myrna, “Dr. Seuss books, okay siya.”
2. National Geographic Kids Look and Learn
“Nat Geo kids Look and Learn. Helpful for my four year old and two year old sons,” Ronna Natividad-Concepcion shared in the discussion thread. Car also mentioned this book in his comment.
3. Eric Carle books
Car Sayo said, “Start with Eric Carle books. Hungry Caterpillar. Brown Bear. From Head to Toe.”
Myrna Villanueva-Tinio added, “Try also Eric Carle, but choose the ones that have short story lines and repetitive words like Brown bear, brown bear what do you see?”
4. Smart Babies
Car also added a helpful tip, “Pero 'pag nag-start ka mommy, two to three books muna ang i-introduce tapos paulit-ulit.”
5. Mo Willems books
Myrna Villanueva Tinio, also a teacher by profession said, “Then you can proceed to Mo Willems books, language is repetitive but storyline has underlying humor more appropriate for older kids (maybe 7-9yo), titles like Don't Let The Pigeon Drive. One good thing about these books is the pictures are big, simple yet inviting, so it helps keep the child's interest without being too distracting with the reading aspect.”
She also shared a tip, “Love for reading is a must, before mastery of reading itself.”
Pamela Aba also added in the discussion thread, “I don't have any particular book suggestions, but I'd recommend browsing in Booksale for books. Pick those with repeating words and big letters so they're easy to read.”
6. Usborne Books
Eunice Barcelona-Gabion recommends Start Up reading books by Usborne.
RELATED: 'I Suspected My Son Had Language Delay, and I Am Thankful I Took Him to the Doctor'
Expert advice on speech and language delay in children
Smart Parenting asked the expert advice of one of our Board of Expert members, Dr. Jan Harold D. Sia, a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician. He said, “Some definition of terms first.... (Feldman H. Peds in Review. 2005): Speech is the manifestation of language that uses decodable vocal sounds (ie, phonemes, sounds in a specified language [eg, Filipino, English, French, etc.]) as the medium of exchange of information. Language is the expression of human communication through which ideas, information, emotions, and beliefs can be shared, through the use of systematic, arbitrary, and socially agreed upon signals (ie, words, sentences) to convey meaning within a group or community.”
'What's important is for the adults to use the books to communicate with the child.' -Dr. Harold Sia
He differentiated first speech and language, and connected it with communication, “Communication is the imparting or exchange of information, ideas.”
In understanding this situation, it’s also important to know the background of the condition.
Dr. Sia further explained, “If we say 'speech delay', this only refers to a delay in acquisition or non-acquisition of speech skills, like those who are born mute, for example. A broader, and likely a more complete, term is 'speech and language delay' or 'language delay', because this refers to a delay in or non-acquisition of language and communication skills.”
RELATED: 13 Warning Signs of Speech and Language Delay (Birth to 3 Years)
What should parents do? Speech and language delay can be an overwhelming condition, but with therapy and early intervention, there can always be a breakthrough.
Dr. Sia explained what parents can do at home, “As for therapy at home to be done by parents, first of course is to continue to implement the strategies done in therapy. Next is play time with their children. In my therapy, I teach parents on doing 'special play time'. This should be done at least 10-15 minutes/day per parent. What to do during 'special time'--praise the child's good/appropriate behaviors, describe/narrate the child's play, and reflect/rephrase the child's words/vocalizations. These are the things done in formal therapy.”
The most important detail Dr. Sia pointed out an important detail that is the key to make every book count, “As for books, any children's book (age-appropriate) is okay, picture books in particular for younger children.”
RELATED: 5 Ways You Can Help Your Child's Language Development, According To A Dev Ped
He emphasized, “What's important is for the adults to use the books to communicate with the child.”
The number of books is not that important, but parents should make sure to use the experience of book-reading as a way to communicate with the child. Whether storybooks or picture books, what’s important is there is communication between the adult (parent or caregiver) and the child.
Read this story to learn more about reading to your child.
What other parents are reading
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