Shared Reading at Home: Simple Ways Parents Can Support AAC Without Pressure
Parenting can be exhausting. There is so much to do, and it often feels like time is running faster and faster each day. As a parent of an AAC user, this feeling may be amplified as you have even more on your plate. Between therapy, school, and daily life, “Shared Reading” can feel like just another chore on a long to-do list. Instead of adding more to your already overflowing plate, I want to reassure you that shared reading can easily fit into your daily routines, just as they are. Your home doesn’t have to look like a classroom; shared reading can be anywhere, from the backyard to the bathroom. Remember, the goal of shared reading is connection, not perfection. It doesn’t have to be a 20-minute session; it can be 2 minutes.
Reading in the “In-Between” Moments
Shared reading doesn’t only happen at a desk or a dedicated “circle time.” When we remember that the goal of shared reading is the connection between us and the learner, instead of the location or what it “looks” like, we can see that there are many different opportunities to engage in shared reading throughout the day and in various routines. Some actionable routine ideas that can be implemented into your already established routines include:
- Bath Time: Using waterproof books and modeling “wash,” “bubbles,” or “all clean.”
- Snack Time: Reading a cereal box or a simple book while eating.
- Bedtime: The traditional time, but keeping it low-pressure—focusing on cuddles and one or two core words like “sleep” or “turn.”
Don’t forget all the reading that can happen naturally while you are outside the home as well. Letters and words are everywhere, you can read:
- Labels at the grocery store
- Signs on a walk
- Logos of our favorite restaurants or places to go
Literacy is all around us, all the time!
Make Literacy Available, Not Mandatory
Have you ever been somewhere and find yourself picking up an item (or book), just because it is there and available? When we make books a part of the environment, something that is there “just because”, it helps make reading feel less forced and more natural. Children are more apt to initiate interactions with books if there is not a “demand” or “request” to use them. Leave some books out in various places, the car, by the toy bin, in a basket in the living room, at the kitchen table, even in the bathroom. I think you’ll be surprised how often you see your child gravitating towards the books, just because they can.
While we are talking about low demands surrounding reading, don’t feel pressure to read the whole book. It is perfectly ok for a child to read only one or two pages before moving onto the next, flips through the book quickly seemingly not reading, and/or move around the room while listening to you read. All of this counts as reading and should be celebrated!
Modeling Without Expectation
Now that we have access to books throughout the day and know that we are focusing on connection and embedding literacy into daily routines. Let’s talk about how to bring the AAC into this literacy party! I promise this one is easy and low demand too!
As a parent, your job is to show your child how they could use their AAC during shared reading, not to test. If you are not sure what to model, choose one word on the AAC device that matches something from the text or the illustrations on a page. Rest assured any word you pick is wonderful – there is no right or wrong word or words to model. After you model that word, wait for a moment, or don’t and keep reading. If your child doesn’t respond, that’s okay! They are engaged and connecting with you. They may still be “soaking it all in” and listening and not ready to respond yet. Don’t worry, the more they engage in shared reading, the more they will start to use their AAC too. Your model is the gift; their response is the bonus.
The Home Routine Planner
Need more ideas? Here are some specific examples of routines you can add a book to this week and core words that you could model during that routine:
Breakfast (or any meal time)
- Read: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Model: “eat”, “hungry”, “more”
Bathroom
- Read: Time to Pee!
- Model: “go”, “help” “all done” or “finished”, “on”, “off”
Play time
- Read: books about topics they enjoy – literally any book will work here
- Model: “turn”, “more”, “like”, “don’t like”, “again”, “look”
Car rides
- Read: Go Dog Go, Little Blue Truck series, Construction Site series
- Model: “go”, “fast”, “slow”, “turn”, “like”, “stop”
Bath time
- Read: Five Little Monkeys Jump in the Bath, waterproof books work great here too!
- Model: “in”, “on”, “off”, “like”, “more”, “out”
Bed time
- Read: books about topics the enjoy – literally any book will work her
- Model: “turn”, “more”, “like”, “don’t like”, “again”, “look”
Remember, you don’t have to do all of this at once, you can take it one routine at at time. And if modleing on the AAC in the routines seems overwhelming, know that you can stick to the “one word” rule: pick one core word for any routine and stick with it for the week. By the end of the week I can guarantee you that you will feel more comfortable modeling that word while reading and incorporating the AAC into shared reading overall!
If you’d like to learn more about shared reading and AAC users, my e-book, Shared Reading with AAC users, gives tangible examples and ideas on how can get started with shared reading with your AAC user.
Before you go, share in the comments: “What is the most ‘unusual’ place your child has ever asked you to read a book?”
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