Using Wordless Picture Books with Infants and Toddlers
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Storytelling is rooted in gestures, images, and shared experiences. Long before humans developed writing systems, they shared stories orally and through the images they painted on walls, structures, and pottery. Wordless picture books tap into this ancient tradition.
Wordless picture books contain few or no words. Rather, the story—which includes narrative elements like setting, characters, a problem or rising action, and a resolution—is shared through illustrations. Research demonstrates that these books can elicit adults’ and children’s use of language and comprehension strategies (like inferencing) often found when reading books with words. Studies have also shown that interactions with wordless picture books can foster vocabulary growth, language development, and creativity across age groups.
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Janna Wagner, MEd, is cofounder and senior advisor of All Our Kin and an ICF-credentialed leadership coach. She coteaches a course on child care at Yale University.