Reading to a toddler is valuable. Reading with a toddler — engaging them actively in the story, asking questions, inviting naming and pointing, extending their responses — produces substantially better language outcomes. The shift from passive to interactive reading is one of the most impactful changes parents can make to their shared reading practice.
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What Dialogic Reading Is
Dialogic reading, developed by Grover Whitehurst at the State University of New York, is an approach to shared reading that positions the child as an active participant rather than a passive listener. The adult uses specific techniques to engage the child and respond to their engagement.
The research evidence is strong: children in dialogic reading interventions show substantially greater gains in vocabulary, language complexity, and reading readiness than controls reading in the standard manner.
PEER Technique
Whitehurst's PEER framework describes the structure:
- Prompt: ask the child about the book ("What is that?", "What's happening?")
- Evaluate: respond to the child's attempt
- Expand: add to what the child said ("Yes, it's a dog — a brown fluffy dog")
- Repeat: give the child the opportunity to try the expanded version
Specific Techniques (CROWD)
- Completion prompts: leave a gap for the child to fill in a familiar phrase ("The wheels on the bus go...")
- Recall prompts: ask about something just seen ("What did the bear do?")
- Open-ended prompts: "Tell me what's happening on this page."
- Wh- questions: "Where is the duck going?" "What will happen next?"
- Distancing prompts: connect the book to the child's life ("Do you have a dog like that?")
What Interactive Reading Looks Like in Practice
An interactive reading session with a toddler is not a quiz. It is a conversation about the book, following the child's interest. If the child is most interested in the dog on page 3, stay there and talk about that dog. If they want to turn back, turn back. The conversation matters more than getting through the book.
Key Takeaways
Interactive reading — also called dialogic reading — involves engaging the child actively during shared book reading through questions, prompts, and extensions. Research shows that dialogic reading produces significantly greater language gains than passive reading. The key shift is from reading to the child to reading with the child.
