Books are a fantastic way to promote a child’s language and literacy skills. In general, books expose children to sentence structure and grammar, narrative storytelling, and vocabulary skills to name a few. Reading a book with a child is also a great opportunity to have them respond to who, what, when, where, why, and how questions, yes/no questions, and inferential questions (e.g. what do you think will happen?) about the story.  Below are some great winter-themed books that are perfect for the cold months when you and your child are spending much more time indoors.

 

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner 

1. This is a great book to use when discussing comparisons. In Over and Under the Snow, readers learn that although it is quiet and snow-filled on top of the snow, there is a secret and lively world beneath the snow. Compare and contrast the environment and characters that live over and under the snow. 

2. You can also use this book to practice syntax skills! The prepositions over & under are reinforced throughout the book for kids to practice. Review animals and characters that are over the snow and then discuss those that are under the snow. 

 

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

1. Review aspects of social language including competition, teamwork, and sharing. This story suggests that it is better working together than against each other. You can discuss examples in your own life, or in your child’s life where this message is reinforced.  

2. Discuss the sequence the mice follow while building a snowman using temporal concepts (e.g. first, then, next, last, etc.). You can also have the child discuss the steps he/she would follow to create their own snowman using temporal terminology. 

 

The Mitten by Jan Brett

1. The Mitten is a great book to use to practice sequencing events from a story. The story begins when a young boy loses his mitten. Then, one by one, animals begin to crawl into the mitten to keep warm. Children can list the animals in the order in which they climb into the mitten. 

2. Also use this story to practice “big v. little” basic concepts. Each animal that climbs into the mitten does so to keep warm. As you read, you will be surprised by the size of some of the animals that are able to fit into the mitten! Kids can talk about how it may be difficult for a big animal to make its way into the mitten versus a small animal to do so. 

 

Do fun winter themed follow-up activities after reading these books. You can build a snowman out of marshmallows, make colored ice cubes with ice trays, water, and food die, or have a snowball fight in the yard! Overall, these winter books with a child will improve language skills and are simply a great way to spend time with your kids!

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Written by: Michelle Konecki, M.S., CF-SLP