Dial-a-Story

Raising Confident Kids

Smiling little girl with hand on hip, posing in front of blurred grasses and flowers in the background

Fun virtual storytimes filled with great books, rhymes and songs. Watch anytime and sing along!

Storytime at Home

Disability: Read Up On It!

Activities that help build your child's narrative skills teaches them to describe things; to tell events in order; to tell and retell stories. Here is an example of a game you can play with your child. 

Give your child a toy telephone, or a real phone that isn't in service. Make the phone "ring" and say "Oh! Your telephone is ringing! It must be your friend" Then talk to your child on your own telephone. Pretend to be the friend calling.In your phone chat, ask your child about her day, and then finish by suggesting that you talk again tomorrow. The next day, play the game again.

Child and adult on telephone

Game: Telephone Talk

Activities that involves make-believe gives children the opportunity to learn and practice new skills. Consider personalizing the activity by asking your child what they want to put in the soup.

Make pretend soup. You will need a saucepan with a lid, a spoon and some small objects. Say, “Let’s make soup!” and ask, “What do you think we should have in our soup?” Let your child choose an object, tell you what it is and place it in the saucepan. 
Then it’s your turn. Say, “I think we should put some socks in the soup!” When there are three ingredients in the soup, ask your child to stir it and put on the lid. Scratch your head and ask, “Now, what is in our soup? Can you remember what things are in it?” See if your child can recall the ingredients.

Baby and adult in kitchen

Game: Silly Soup

Activities focused on play give children the opportunity to learn and practice new skills in a natural way. Here is an example of a game you can play with your child.

Children love to play and pretend. Encourage play by supplying dress-up clothes and props such as hats, scarves, books and toys. Encourage your child to act out their favourite stories. As children act out their story, they are developing narrative skills.

Child dressed as pirate

Game: Make Believe

Activities focused on hearing and understanding words helps children sound them out when they are learning to read. Activities with actions are fun for you and your child. 

Ask your toddler, "How do we move?" They might answer walk, run, jump or any other way. Act out what they say. Play with different actions. You can keep playing this game with different actions as long as you have your child's attention.

Here are some to try:
Let's walk fast (and walk fast) 
Let's walk slow (and walk slow) 
Let's walk like an elephant (put your arms together and sway it in front of you like an elephant's trunk)

Child crawling

Game: How Do We Move?

Activities focused on hearing words helps improve your child's listening skills. Interactive activities are fun for both you and your child. 

Ask your child to only follow the instructions if they hear, "Teddy Bear says" before the instructions. If your child does an action when you don't say "Teddy bear says" then it's their turn to become the teddy bear and call out actions for you. 

Teddy bear says, touch your toes, 
Teddy bear says, touch your nose, 
Teddy bear says, sit down.

Repeat game for: 
Teddy bear says, turn around, 
Teddy bear says, touch your ears, 
Teddy bear says, touch your shoulders.

Baby with teddy bear

Game: Teddy Bear Says

Activities focused on telling a story helps children develop skills in thinking and understanding. Here is an example of a game you can play with your child.

Start off with one line of a story, for instance, "There once lived a dragon in a far away cave". Ask your child to make up the next sentence of the story, for instance, they can say, "One day the dragon woke up and found out he has invisible powers. Keep playing until you finish the story. You can make the story as funny or adventurous as you like.

Child with adult pointing to page

Game: The Story Train

Activities focused on talk help your child build a richer vocabulary. Learning new words will help your child better express themselves. 

Once your child starts talking, help him find the words for things around him. Make a game of labelling items in your home together. When you are running errands, point out things in the neighbourhood and in the shops. Help your child find things that are the same. For example, find some products that are green or things shaped like a triangle.

Children with adult at grocery store

Game: Naming, Labelling and Sorting

Activities where children get to create the story using puppets and other objects expands their creative thought and helps them understand that stories have a beginning, middle and end.

Playing with puppets is a good way of getting your child talking and thinking creatively. Ask your child to tell you a story using puppets, toys, dolls or other props. Help your child retell or act out their favourite story. Props help your child remember a story. Ask your child "what comes next?" to help them understand how to develop a story. After your child has finished playing, consider asking your child to draw their favourite scene.

Child with puppet

Game: Puppet Show

Activities with repetition helps your child's brain link sound and meaning. Repetition helps build your child's confidence and they will be more likely to use words that they have heard. 

Touch your nose and say, “Look! Here is daddy’s nose!” Ask your child, “Do you have a nose? Where is your nose?” Help your child find her nose. Now, point to her nose and ask (as if you’ve forgotten), “What’s this again?” This gives your child a chance to name the body part herself. Continue in this way with other body parts.

Child hand movement with adult

Game: My Turn, Your Turn

Activities involving naming everyday items helps broaden their vocabulary and develops their understanding of words. Here's a great activity to try at home. 

Engage your child in sorting and folding laundry and talk about the different items and how we wear them. Say to your child "Socks go on our feet", what else goes on our feet? Do this with other types of clothing. Continue the game by dressing up a stuffed toy.

Baby with adult with coloured scarves

Game: What Goes Together

Talking with your child helps build language and vocabulary skills.

Talk

Reading together is the best way to help your child become a strong reader.

Read

Singing helps your child hear the sounds in words and build their vocabulary.

Sing

Play is how children learn, and how they come to understand their world.

Play

Writing helps children learn that letters and words represent sounds and have meaning.

Write

When talking with your child, use a variety of descriptive words. Use specific words instead of words like "it", "here" or "there". For familiar words in a book, rhyme or song, think of a new word that has a similiar meaning. When a child is learning a new word, use it often throughout the day.

Use New Words (2)

When you child says "Aahh", say it back to her, and turn the sounds into real words. Encourage your child to copy you, too. You'll help your child recognize which sounds form language and develop her vocabulary before she can talk. 

Babies Talk (2)

When your child babbles or talks, listen carefully and answer. Even if you don't know what he means or he doesn't have the words to answer, talk to your child and ask him lots of questions. 

Ready for Reading

Find fun activities to do with your child

talking

Game: Telephone Talk

Game: Silly Soup

Game: Make Believe

Game: How Do We Move?

Game: Teddy Bear Says

Game: The Story Train

Game: Naming, Labelling and Sorting

Game: Puppet Show

Game: My Turn, Your Turn

Game: What Goes Together

talking Tips

Six skills that get your child ready for reading

Liking Books

Hearing words

Knowing words

Telling a story

Seeing words

Knowing letters

Dial-a-Story

Raising Confident Kids

Storytime at Home