FoxStoriaChoose a book you can explore together
Look for pictures your child can talk about and a story you can follow without much explanation. Familiar animals, small everyday adventures, and repeated lines give you something to join in with.
Offer two books rather than an open-ended choice. If your child picks the same one again, you already have a place to start.
Let pointing and page-turning count
Try a comment before a question: “That little dog looks lost.” Give your child time to point, answer, or turn the page. You do not have to ask what happens next every time.
If they wander off or close the book, you can stop. Another evening might be different. A story you tell while looking at one picture still counts as reading together.
Keep the grown-up in the story
Read beside your child and let them see the pictures. If you use a recorded story, listen together first so you know its length, volume, and ending.
If you use an app, stay with your child and choose a story together. Listening and looking at pictures are enough; there is no need to ask them to read the words.