Your Child Will Learn
Learn about real-life topics through nonfiction books
Here’s What to Do
- Select a nonfiction picture book to read with your child. For example, select a factual book about transportation, nature, animals, careers, sports, food, art, or history.
- Explain that nonfiction books are all about real things and they have facts. They are different from fiction books because they are about imaginary things and they have stories.
- Read the book with your child. Ask your child questions while you read.
- Extend the learning by finding an object, toy, or video that matches the topic you learned about in the book. For example, if the book is about animals, find a stuffed animal, figurine, or video about the animals in the book. Help make connections between the object and what you read about in the book.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Snuggle up in a cozy reading spot before you begin.
ENGAGE
- “Let’s read this book about firefighters. This is a nonfiction book, which means it’s facts about firefighters and it will help us learn.”
- “Look at your fire truck toy. Is it the same or different from fire trucks we saw in the firefighter book?”
ENCOURAGE
- Ask questions as you read. Like: “What animal is this? Yes, an elephant! Do you know what elephants do with their trunk?”
- Make connections between the real object, toy, or video and the book. Like: “Look! The ballet dancer in the video is doing a leap, just like the dancer in this picture in the book!”
REFLECT
- Talk about the facts you learned in the nonfiction book.
Not Quite Ready
Read a variety of types of books with your child about many different topics.
Ready for More
Find two books about the same topic: one fiction and one nonfiction (for example- a nonfiction book about airplanes and a fictional story where a character flies an airplane). Ask your child to talk about the difference between the two.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will begin to understand that information and facts are found in nonfiction books.
Time to Complete
10 minutes
Materials Needed
Object/toy/video related to the topic of a nonfiction book