Reading to your child: 3–5 years

Between the ages of 3 and 5, your child will start understanding increasingly complex stories. For instance, they’ll be able to understand a plot that has a problem and a resolution. Books help children in this age range develop their language skills and prepare them for reading and writing. Reading to your child is also a wonderful way to bond with them.

• If your child is under 1 year old, read our fact sheet on Introducing your baby to reading: 0–12 months.
• If your child is between the ages of 1 and 3, read our fact sheet on Reading to your child: 1–3 years.

How reading benefits your child

Reading stories to your child from an early age has many benefits:

• It promotes the development of language skills. The stories you read to them help build their vocabulary and improve their verbal comprehension. They also help your child master more complex sentence structures.
• Reading together encourages interaction between you and your child and promotes bonding.
• When introduced early, books become a source of entertainment and enjoyment. Your child will associate reading with spending quality time with you. If their first experience with books is at school, where learning to read is a requirement, they may develop a negative association with books and think of reading as a chore.
• Reading to your child improves their attention span, concentration, and listening skills.
• It supports your child’s learning. Your child can learn about animals (lions, tigers, elephants) and places (savannahs, jungles) that they won’t see in everyday life.

• Reading sparks an interest in writing. With you by their side, your child subconsciously learns how to interact with a book, picks up new words, and discovers the basics of writing: you write from left to right, words are made up of the letters in the alphabet, etc. They also gradually come to understand that letters represent sounds that can be spoken: this is the foundation of reading and writing.
• Books foster your child’s imagination and curiosity. Your little one will quickly understand that stories are doors to other worlds.
• Kids who are introduced to books from a young age have improved academic perseverance and get better marks in school. Reading fosters the development of essential school skills, such as concentration, language development, a love for learning, and self-confidence.

How to read with your 3- to 5-year-old

• Encourage your child to choose the book you’ll read. This way, they’ll be more attentive.
• Give your child books about their interests, like farms, forests, pirates, animals, or dinosaurs. They will help your child widen their vocabulary and knowledge.
• Look at the cover together and try to guess what the book is about. Tell your child to look at the title and illustrations for hints.
• Read the book exactly as written, as this will introduce your child to a variety of vocabulary. However, don’t hesitate to explain difficult words or rephrase passages that your child doesn’t seem to understand.
• Do different voices while you read. Use a higher or lower voice depending on the character.
• Before reading the text on a page, ask your child open-ended questions about what they see, such as: “Max’s mom seems angry. Why do you think she’s angry?” Through this activity, your child will develop their sense of observation and their imagination. Asking questions is also a great way to start conversations with your child and keep them engaged.
• Take short breaks while reading to talk about what isn’t made explicit in the book: the characters’ emotions, the problem to be solved, the main character’s goal, etc. Talking about the story allows you to give your child new information, which contributes to the development of their language skills.
• Draw your child’s attention to a funny word, or point out a significant letter, like the first letter of their name. This helps your them understand that words are formed by the letters of the alphabet.
• When you’re done reading, ask your child to come up with an alternate ending or imagine what might happen after the story ends. It’s a great way to feed their imagination and open new horizons. It also encourages them to tell a story in their own words.
• When possible, draw connections between the story and your child’s daily life to make the information in the book more concrete. For example, if you’re reading a book about insects, you can remind your child of the insects they’ve seen before.

Choosing a book

Read a variety of books with your child, while taking their preferences into account. At this age, they’ll have a better handle on their likes and dislikes.

Here are some types of books that might interest them:

• Books with pictures. They’ll help your child make sense of the story and express themself, even if they can’t read yet.
• Books on subjects that interest them, such as trucks, knights, or dinosaurs.
• Book series featuring the same character. Your child can follow their adventures.
• Books about things your child is going through in their own life: moving, parental separation, self-esteem, death of a loved one, etc.
• Books with surprising illustrations, game books, interactive or pop-up books, etc.
• Books written by an author your child especially likes, or books from the same collection or publishing company.

For recommendations of books about everyday life situations, see our fact sheet on bibliotherapy (in French).

How to foster your child’s interest in reading

• Read books with your child often, not just before bed. You can also read before naptime or supper, or even at bathtime from a waterproof book.

• Agree to read the same book again if that’s what your child wants. It’s normal for kids this age to want to read the same book over and over. The repetition helps them feel secure, and they understand the story better with each new reading.
• Get your child a library card so they can discover the joy of picking out their own books. Check out books from the library regularly or trade books with friends. This way, your child always has access to new books and can develop an interest in particular subjects or genres. Keep reading their favourite books to them as often as they want.
• Attend story hours together at your library. Your little one might enjoy listening to stories with a group of other children.
• Set up a little reading nook in the living room or in your child’s bedroom to get them excited about reading time. Make sure they can reach their books on their own. Add pillows and blankets to their book nook to create a fun, cozy reading environment.
• Help your toddler make a homemade book. Staple sheets of paper together (folded in half) and ask your child to illustrate a short story you invent together. You can also ask them to glue in pictures, then write captions for them.
• Read for enjoyment. You’ll show your child that books are fun and exciting sources of knowledge. As their role model, you are the ideal person to instill them with a love of reading.
• Show your child that writing is found in all kinds of places, not just in books. For example, you could read signs outside, the back of a cereal box, or messages on birthday cards. Over time, they’ll grow to understand that reading is important.

Things to keep in mind

• Reading exposes your child to new words and introduces them to the fundamentals of writing (e.g., we read from left to right, words are made up the letters of the alphabet).
• Frequently reading books with your child, letting them pick their own books, and going to the library are all good ways to foster an interest in reading.
• As your child starts producing longer sentences, books will help them further develop their language skills.

Scientific review: Agathe Tupula Kabola, speech therapist Research and copywriting:The Naître et grandir team Updated: September 2025

Photo: GettyImages/supersizer