Early learning · 2026-05-21
Don't Rush to the Next Page
When your child interrupts a bedtime story to point at a tiny bug in the corner of the page, the real reading has just begun.
The tiny interruptions
It is evening, and you are sitting by the bed reading a classic picture book with your child. You have just finished reading the text on the page with wonderful expression and are ready to turn to the next one, when a small hand suddenly covers the paper: "Look! There's a little bug wearing a hat!"
The bug is a tiny background detail, completely unrelated to the main plot. As adults, we often have an instinct to finish the task at hand—we want to get to the end of the story to find out what happens to the protagonist. Because of this, we might gently say, "Yes, that's a little bug. Let's see what happens on the next page."
But developmental science reminds us that perhaps we do not need to rush. When a young child interrupts a story, they are not trying to be difficult. They are inviting us into their world.
From listening to conversing
We often picture reading as a quiet, receptive activity: the adult reads beautifully, and the child listens peacefully. However, in the late 1980s, developmental psychologist Dr. Grover Whitehurst and his team introduced a remarkably effective approach known as "dialogic reading" 1.
The core idea of dialogic reading is to transform the shared book experience from a one-way broadcast into a two-way conversation. In traditional reading, the adult is the storyteller and the child is the audience. In dialogic reading, these roles frequently swap: the child becomes the storyteller, and the adult becomes the listener, the questioner, and the enthusiastic audience.
"How we read to children is just as important as how frequently we read to them."
— Grover Whitehurst
Research shows that when children actively participate—discussing the pictures, answering questions, and connecting the narrative to their own lives—their vocabulary, comprehension, and willingness to express themselves grow significantly. As classic developmental theorist Lev Vygotsky emphasised, language is fundamentally acquired through social interaction. Children learn to talk by talking with someone they trust.
Following the trail of curiosity
Sometimes, you might spend ten minutes on a single page. This is absolutely fine. A picture book is not a rigid script that must be completed before lights out; it is a springboard for conversation.
When we encourage a child to ask one more why, the story comes alive in unexpected ways. You can follow the direction of your child's pointing finger and ask, "Where do you think that bug with the hat is going?" or "He looks in a hurry, do you think he is late for a party?" This shared, curiosity-led exploration is exactly the kind of companionable learning Sparkie aims to encourage: instead of rushing to provide a single correct answer, we can use questions to spark a child's own imaginative thinking.
When we let go of the pressure to "finish the book" and leave room for detours, reading stops feeling like an educational chore. It becomes a joyful expedition of discovery, shared between you and your child.
Three small things to try this week
- Wonder aloud with open questions: Instead of asking, "Is that a cat?" (which only requires a yes or no), try asking, "What do you think that little cat is looking at?" or "What is happening in this picture?"
- Bridge the book and the world: Connect the events on the page to your child's real life. For example, "The bear in this book is jumping in a muddy puddle. Do you remember when we put on our wellies and splashed in the puddles after the rain?"
- Let them read the pictures to you: When you turn to a new page, pause for a few seconds before reading the text. Point to the illustration and say, "Oh, I am not quite sure what is happening here. Can you look at the picture and tell me?"