23/09/2026
šš Book Recommendation of the Month!
This month, weāre featuring āWind-Up Trainā by Usborne! A fun book to share together, with lots of opportunities to support your childās communication and language development. š¬āØ
š Save this post for your next reading time!
š Share this with a parent or carer who might find it helpful!
Here are some simple ways you can make the most of reading together:
š All ages | Reading toYour Child
Read the book aloud and talk about the pictures as you go.
Use different voices and expressions to keep your child engaged.
Pause occasionally to let your child look, respond or comment.
Read for their engagement, donāt feel forced to read everything on the page
š¶ 0ā2 years | Sharing Books in the Early Years
Let your child explore the pictures, touch the pages and turn the pages.
Name what you see using simple words and phrases: āTrain!ā āBig train!ā
Make fun sounds together, such as āchoo choo!ā
Pause and give your child time to respond with sounds, gestures, or words.
š 2ā4 years | Pointing & Identifying
Encourage your child to point to and find objects in the book.
Name objects together and describe what you see.
Ask simple questions to encourage your child to identify familiar objects.
š 2ā5 years | Using Prepositions
Talk about where objects are in relation to each other.
Highlight words such as in, on, next to, under and through.
š 3ā5 years | WH Questions
Ask questions about the pictures to encourage understanding and conversation.
Encourage your child to explain their ideas, rather than focusing on getting the ārightā answer.
š£ļø 3ā5+ years | Reading WITH Your Child
Take turns talking about the pictures and what is happening.
Encourage your child to join in with familiar words, sounds or phrases.
Let them retell parts of the story in their own words.
Why we love using books for language activities š”
š Built-in motivation: The wind-up train can be used as a fun reward after completing an activity, such as answering a question or finding something in the book.
š Busy visuals: Books with lots of pictures give children plenty to look at,
