Book Week is the perfect time to introduce your little ones to the joy of reading. Our Pop Speech Pathologists have curated a list of YouTube read-alouds that are not only fun but also fantastic for language development for toddlers to kindergarteners.
Whether you have a 2 year old, 3 year old, 4 year old, 5 year old or even 6 year old, these books are the ones for your family! They have been specially selected to help your child expand their vocabulary, improve comprehension, and develop critical thinking skills – all while enjoying interactive stories.
TOP TIP! Before you get started… if you’re using the YouTube read-along links, don’t forget to pause the video as you go through the story. Then you can read the pages together or start conversations about what might happen next!
This classic is a favourite among toddlers. “Where’s Spot?” engages little readers with its interactive elements and simple language, making it an excellent tool for early language development. If you can get your hands on the printed copy, they’ll especially love the lift-the-flap element!
What You Can Work On At Home
- Lifting flaps to explore prepositions
- Answering yes/no questions
- Learning animal vocabulary
"Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus" by Mo Willems
Age Range: 2+ years
Recommended By: Bonnie
This humorous story follows a pigeon with a big dream—driving a bus! The simple yet engaging narrative is great for toddlers, offering opportunities to practice asking and answering questions, identify emotions, and make predictions.
This one is a favourite in Bonnie’s house!
What You Can Work On At Home
- Practicing asking and answering questions
- Understanding sarcasm and humour
- Identifying emotions and making predictions
“Mix It Up” is perfect for learning colours and encouraging little ones to think about what might happen next. It’s another favourite at Bonnie’s house!
What You Can Work On At Home
- Identifying colours
- Understanding colour mixing
- Predicting outcomes
“Stomp” is a lively book about dinosaurs that encourages children to engage with speech sound clusters and verbs. The repetitive text and simple sentences make it a fantastic choice for working on smooth speech and sentence structure.
What You Can Work On At Home
- Practicing speech sound clusters (e.g., stomp, slurp, growl)
- Identifying verbs through actions (e.g., hop, squash, stop)
- Understanding sentence structure
If you have a family cat, this one is for you! “Floof” is a delightful story about a cheeky cat and their daily antics. This book is great for helping young children learn action verbs and understand daily routines in a fun, relatable way.
What You Can Work On At Home
- Identifying action verbs
- Discussing daily routines
- Comparing saying vs. doing
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle
Age Range: 2-6 years
Recommended By: Lucy
A timeless classic, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” takes kids on a journey of growth and transformation. The engaging storyline and beautiful illustrations make it a perfect choice to work on building conversations. The age range is “officially” 2-6 years old but can be used for kids of all ages – Lucy is yet to meet a child who does not choose this book when given a choice in a line up.
What You Can Work On At Home
- Learning vocabulary (food, colors, animals, shapes)
- Sequencing days of the week
- Engaging with rhythmic text
P.S. We have no affiliation or sponsorships with these companies, we just like their stuff!
