Parents must stretch the story! Do you think I'm advocating you lie or stretch the truth? No. I’m talking about ways to get more out of reading aloud to your tots.

We've all heard the admonition to read aloud to children. And we know the benefits of this daily practice; increased vocabulary, listening skills, attention span, language development, even improved eye-hand coordination. But, how do you get the most out of the reading experience? By doing what classroom teachers have known all along -- add extra activities to emphasize the book's theme.

For example, read "Runaway Bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown. Then grab a bag of carrots and have your children join in washing them. Discuss healthy foods, the color - orange, why bunnies eat vegies, or show how to use a vegetable peeler. Getting their hands involved in an activity makes this book come alive. To build their self esteem, encourage your tots to prepare carrots for mealtime and brag on their contribution to the family.

A favorite of mine,"The Little Red Hen", by Paul Galdone can bestretched by following your read with baking “Little Chicks Cinnamon Nibbles.”

After this story, gather:
1 can refrigerated biscuits
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
1/4 Cup margarine, melted

Separate the biscuits and cut into quarters. Instruct each child to dip a cut biscuit piece into the melted margarine and roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Hands will be sticky but it's a terrific fine motor activity. With older children you have a physics lesson. Ask, "What happens to the biscuits when they're put in a hot oven?" Place the little cinnamon pieces on a lightly greased baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 4 minutes. During this time talk about helping one another, the virtue of kindness or hard work. Explain when people work together, a job is more fun and get done faster.

If you don’t wish to use your oven, get out the rolling pins, plastic knives, and playdough. Sit together at the table and allow your readers to cut out pretend little chicks.

Eric Carle’s "The Tiny Seed" is about Autumn winds. They blow seeds far and wide. What ideas come to mind? Can you go outdoors and gather colored leaves after reading this story? What about using crayons and paper to draw Fall pictures? How about a field trip to the local farmer's market to look for different types of seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, and milkweed? The possibilities explode for making this story come alive. Stretching your stories ignites your children's imaginations and gives more meaning to the words.

One of my cherished memories with one of my daughters took place on a crisp Autumn morning. Three-year-old Lynsey and I were strolling outdoors when she spied a heap of crispy, colored leaves. Impulsively, she ran, arms outstretched and bounded into the pile. Sitting rosy-cheeked and waste-deep in red, brown, orange, and yellow leaves, her contagious laugh echoing down the sidewalk, a driver stopped. He watched for a moment, rolled down the car window and called to me, “You don’t see that kind of innocence anymore.”

Your children will have a passion for books and reading when you stretch their stories. And before you know it, you’ll be gathering cherished memories, too.

About the Author:

Brenda Nixon is a mother of two, professional speaker and author of Parenting Power in the Early Years: raising your child with confidence --birth to age five. Brenda can be reached at her website: Parenting Power or by phone: (816) 361-9811.