Don’t Rush to “The End”
A Simple Shift That Changes Storytime
For many parents, reading a bedtime story feels like a race against the clock. We want to get to “The End” so we can turn off the lights. Our instinct is to say, “Wait—let me finish the page,” whenever a small finger points at a stray butterfly in the corner of the illustration.
But child development research from institutions like Harvard suggests that those “interruptions” are often where real learning begins.
Dialogic reading is a simple yet powerful shift: it turns reading from a monologue into a dialogue, and from passive listening into active thinking.
🧠 The PEER Framework
PEER describes how conversation naturally unfolds during reading:
- P (Prompt) Invite your child to say something about the book.
- E (Evaluate) Respond to what they say.
- E (Expand) Add a little more information.
- R (Repeat) Give them a chance to try the expanded idea.
🍎 A Quick Demo: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
“What is he doing?” (Prompt)
“Eating!”
“Yes—he’s eating. He’s very hungry.” (Evaluate + Expand)
“He’s eating a red apple. Can you say ‘red apple’?” (Repeat)
“Eating!”
“Yes—he’s eating. He’s very hungry.” (Evaluate + Expand)
“He’s eating a red apple. Can you say ‘red apple’?” (Repeat)
📖 Tailoring by Age
| Age | Focus | Question Type |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 yrs | Labeling & sounds | “Where is the cat?” |
| 2–4 yrs | Describing | “What will happen next?” |
| 4–6 yrs | Real life | “Does this remind you of our trip?” |
💡 The “CROWD” Method
Developed to help parents vary their prompts, these five categories ensure a rich dialogue:
- C (Completion) “The caterpillar was still…”
- R (Recall) “What did he eat on Monday?”
- O (Open-ended) “How does he feel now?”
- W (Wh-) Who, what, where, when, why.
- D (Distancing) “What fruit do you like?”
