Reading aloud to kids was one of my greatest delights as a teacher and a mom. I loved to see children fall under the magic spell of hearing stories, and I’m looking forward to reading stories to our new grandchild when he gets a bit older. Beyond my own family, I hope every parent and child get to experience that magic together often.

Reading to Children with Special Needs

But sometimes, kids with special needs have a hard time sitting and sitting still for an entire story. Short attention spans and physical limitations can make the experience frustrating for adults and children. Even so, more and more libraries are introducing sensory story times for kids with special needs. The Salt Lake County Kearns Library is one of them.

5 Special Needs Reading Tips

In an article about the reading program, Teri Harman listed 5 tips suggested by Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, senior librarian at the Kearns Library.

1. Keep it visual.
2. Keep it moving.
3. Keep it short.
4. Keep it cool.
5. Keep it fun.

The reasoning behind each of these tips and examples that show how to apply them are provided in the article, Tips for Reading to Children with Special Needs. It’s well worth a look, so check it out!

Sensory Story Time Books

Be sure to scroll to the end of the article where you’ll find a list of sensory story time books recommended by Rogers-Whitehead. Here are a few to whet your appetite:

• The Deep Blue Sea by Audrey Wood
• Tuesday by David Wiesner
• Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
• Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

What Would You Add to the List?

What books does your child like to hear? Help create our own sensory story time list by leaving the names of your family’s favorite read aloud books in the comment box.

Image by Aline Dassel from Pixabay

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