Turning Storytime Into Conversation: Speech Therapy in NYC That Builds Language Skills Using Engaging Literature
Storytime is a fantastic and engaging way to help your child build solid language, literacy and communication skills!
Reading to your child has huge benefits! Reading to your child – helps them to build, grow and achieve many speech and language milestones – naturally!
I highly recommend reading to your young child for at least 15-30 minutes everyday – whenever it fits easily and practically into your schedule.
Story time may look a little different for every child and family and that is beautiful! Embrace what storytime looks like in your family!
– For some families, story time might happen before bedtime – as a wind or cool down activity to the day.
Bedtime reading can be a special time to connect with mom and dad after work.
– For other families, shared reading time may happen when your child first wakes up in the morning.
Reading can be a very regulating and calming activity to the nervous system.
For a child that is highly energetic – who may have trouble sitting down and finishing a breakfast meal – adding some reading while eating can be very helpful.
Some children may also enjoy exploring literature together with you in the middle of the day – maybe after a trip to the park or a nutritious snack.
There really is no wrong time to pull out a book and engage your child in the wonder of reading!
Reading with your child is magical – together you can explore different worlds, use your imagination, travel to far away places, and pretend to be mythical creatures!
Reading Classical Fairy Tales is one of my ‘go to’ activities for building many important foundational language skills.
Some of my favorite classical tales to read with my students include: Goldy Locks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Billy Goats Guff, and The Three Little Pigs – to name just a few!
– First, we explore the story together. I encourage each child to look at the pictures in the book while I read the story aloud to them.
– After each page, I may have the child point to characters described or the objects seen and target vocabulary that I name.
This helps to target a child’s developing receptive language skills or understanding of language – encouraging pointing to named objects improves understanding and processing of vocabulary.
Next, I might ask different questions about the presented story, such as:
- Who is the story about?
- Where is the story taking place?
- When is the story happening?
- What do you think will happen next?
- Why do you think that will happen?
- How does the character feel? Why do they feel that way?
- How does the story end? Would you change it?
This helps to develop a child’s growing expressive language skills (spoken language skills), critical thinking and inferencing skills.
Now, comes the best part! We all get to act out and embody the story – together!
Remember – storytime can be ACTIVE too!
I love acting out these treasured stories with all my amazing and creative thinkers!
I often gleefully encourage each child to become each character in the book – and I watch their imaginations instantly come alive!
A child can easily transform into Goldlocks – tasting the hot & cold porridge, or the big bad wolf blowing the stick house down, or the Giant – yelling Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum – who do I smell?
Acting out the story helps to develop a child’s confidence, imagination, expressive language skills, and even targets voice and articulation goals!
– Lastly, I invite children to change the story in any way that they choose.
Maybe, they desire a different ending, or a different setting, or a different solution to the problem presented.
Guess what? That is not a problem! “Abra-ca-da-bra! Your wish is granted!
Thinking of alternative characters, problems, solutions, or endings is actually fantastic practice for building up those higher level thinking skills – like inferencing, sequencing, hypothetical thinking, perspective taking and role playing!
Storytime is also a wonderful time to help explore and discuss feelings with your child that they may be experiencing and processing such as: fear, anger, love, sadness or grief.
Books can also be used as a beneficial tool to help a child process fearful emotions. Maybe they are anxious about a particular activity or place.
I personally love the Maisy Character Books to help familiarize a child to an activity or place they may be nervous about. In the Maisy’s series – your child can travel with her to her first day of school, the doctor’s office, or the playground with her friends for a picnic!
By presenting activities through books this provides added visual support.
It also allows you to talk about the experience or place with a little distance created, while exploring the character’s feelings/
This provides calming strategies for both the character and your child. And you can refer back to the story when your child engages in the activity in real life.
Providing this added support and preparation through storytime activities – can make all the difference in calming your child’s worries and fears. Therefore, allowing them to feel more comfortable and confident when they are ready to explore new things, places and people.
There are countless meaningful ways to incorporate reading and storytime into your child’s daily routines – naturally improving both their social emotional health and overall language development throughout their childhood.
I would love to hear what some of your favorite children’s books are to read to your little ones everyday? I’ll add them to my reading list for next month!
I am also a published children’s book author. I am the creator of the original story – The Learning Adventures of Carrie the Colorful Chameleon. This is an imaginative story to empower and inspire children.
Join Carrie the Colorful Chameleon – as she joins her friends discovering all the wonders in the rainforest like: shapes, colors, fruits, numbers, and emotions! While reading this book your children will learn all the academic concepts taught in early childhood education.
You can purchase The Learning Adventures of Carrie the Colorful Chameleon here …
If your child is struggling during storytime – we can help!
Our experienced speech therapists can assess your child’s literacy and language needs – providing the personalized and tailored support your child needs to thrive and succeed.
Chatty Child is a personalized, boutique, neurodivergent affirming, speech and occupational therapy clinic.
We are here to support all your child’s speech and occupational therapy needs.
I invite you to schedule a tour – to discover the support waiting for your child – at Chatty Child.
We are here to help. Let’s create voices, calm kids, and limitless possibilities – together!
Sincerely,
Heather Lynn Boerner, MA CCC/SLP
Begin Children’s Speech Therapy for Learning Success in NYC
At Chatty Child, we believe every child deserves to feel capable, confident, and successful in the classroom. If your child is struggling with focus, organization, reading, peer relationships, or self-expression at school, we’re here to provide the individualized support they need to thrive. Here’s how to get started:
- Contact us or call 347.491.4451 for a free 15-minute conversation to discuss the classroom challenges your child is facing and how speech therapy can help.
- Schedule a comprehensive evaluation that may include school observations to understand your child’s needs in their actual learning environment.
- Begin individualized therapy sessions with goals focused on the skills that support classroom success—from auditory processing to executive functioning to speaking confidence.
- Collaborate with your child’s educational team through regular communication, team meetings, and shared strategies that create consistency across home and school.
Your child doesn’t need to struggle alone. With the right support, they can build the communication foundations that make learning joyful, friendships easier, and confidence possible.
Holistic Speech and Occupational Therapy Services for Children in NYC
At Chatty Child, we support children as they develop the communication, cognitive, and social-emotional skills that help them thrive at home, in school, and in their wider community. Our approach looks at the whole child, recognizing that language development is deeply connected to learning, relationships, and self-confidence.
Our offerings include:
- Speech Therapy – Individualized, play-based sessions that enhance language, articulation, social communication, and confidence in real-world interactions.
- InterAct – A story-driven, imaginative program that strengthens language, connection, and self-assurance through creative play.
- Occupational Therapy – Guidance in sensory integration, fine motor skills, and fostering independence in daily routines.
- Hum Studios – Mindfulness, meditation, and compassion-based classes designed for accessibility at all ages and abilities.
- Teletherapy – Flexible virtual sessions for speech and occupational therapy, serving families across New York State.
- Tutoring – Customized academic support to boost reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
- Functional Nutrition – Nutrition strategies that promote focus, regulation, and overall developmental health.
- Consulting – Collaborative guidance for parents, caregivers, and educators to help children thrive in multiple environments.
- Group Programs – Small-group sessions fostering communication, cooperation, and social-emotional growth.
Meet Heather: Expertise Guided by Compassion and Insight
Heather Lynn Boerner, MA, CCC-SLP, is a nationally certified and New York–licensed speech-language pathologist with more than 20 years of experience delivering pediatric speech therapy in NYC. Her approach blends professional expertise with mindfulness practices, trauma-informed care, and the perspective of living as a neurodivergent, differently-abled individual.
Motivated by both personal insight and clinical experience, Heather founded Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC, an inclusive practice centered on creative, individualized support for children. She is also the author of Carrie the Colorful Chameleon, a children’s book designed to inspire confidence, curiosity, and connection.
Heather and her team provide in-person services at their Tribeca clinic as well as virtual therapy sessions throughout New York State, empowering children to strengthen communication skills and express themselves confidently in everyday life.
