Many young children love to read the same book over and over again. My children will often ask for the same book to be read two or three times consecutively. Children may alternate the story that they wish to be read. They often will choose one book and stick with it for a few nights. They then may change and begin wanting a different book read.
While this can be tiresome and somewhat boring for parents, there are advantages to reading a book more than one time. Good books are meant to be read multiple times.
Rereading or recalling a story can help children develop word recognition. The more times that a child sees written text and relates it to a spoken word, the more likely the child is to remember the word.
Reading a story over and over again can also help a child develop reading fluency. When a child knows the story and the words to the story, the child can focus on reading fluently and with expression.
Reading a story more than one time can increase a student’s ability to comprehend text. The student can focus on the meaning of the text and gain more each time that the story is heard. Parents and teachers can then focus on asking specific questions about the text.
When a student hears a story many times, he/she memorizes it. One can often see a young child sitting and reading a story completely from memory. The child may feel that he/she is actually reading the text. This helps a child build confidence as a reader.
A story that is loved by a child should be read multi times if for no other reason than for the child’s enjoyment. Children should enjoy reading and being read to. Therefore, the next time that your toddler asks to hear his/her favorite story for the tenth time, gladly pick it up and read it again.