How to Talk About Pictures Before Reading the Words
There is no rule that says you must read a picture book straight through, word for word, first time. In fact, some of the richest shared reading happens when you slow right down and talk about pictures before reading the words. This small change turns a book into a conversation and does a surprising amount of good for your child.
Why the pictures come first
In a good picture book, the illustrations carry as much of the story as the text, sometimes more. When you pause to look and talk before reading, your child studies the scene, works out who is who and what might be happening, and brings their own ideas to the page. That thinking is exactly the kind of active engagement that builds comprehension, far more than passively hearing words wash over them.
For younger children who cannot yet follow much text, the pictures are the story. For older ones, looking first sparks predictions and questions that make the words, when you do read them, land with more meaning. Either way, talking about the pictures invites your child in.
Start with a simple look
Open the book and, instead of diving into the first line, just look together. You might notice the cover, then the opening scene, and wonder aloud: "Ooh, who is this? Where do you think they are?" Give your child time to answer, and treat whatever they say as valuable. There is no wrong reading of a picture, which makes this a safe, confidence-building game for even a shy or younger child.
To talk about pictures before reading the words, follow your child's gaze and pointing finger. If they are drawn to the dog in the corner, start there. You are not covering the page like a checklist; you are having a chat about what you both see.
Ask questions that open up talk
Open questions do far more than yes-or-no ones. A handful to keep in your pocket:
- "What can you see on this page?"
- "What do you think is happening here?"
- "How do you think she is feeling? How can you tell?"
- "What do you think will happen next?"
When your child answers, build on it. If they say "he's sad", you might add, "Yes, look at his mouth turning down. Maybe he has lost his teddy." This gentle expanding feeds new words and shows your child how to turn a single idea into a fuller thought, without any sense of being tested.
Then read, and compare
After you have looked and talked, read the words. Now the text has extra power, because your child has already invested in the picture. They can compare what they guessed with what the author wrote: "You thought he lost his teddy. Let's see. Oh, he lost his shoe." Being sometimes right and sometimes surprised is delightful for a child and deepens their grasp of how stories work.
You do not have to do this on every page or every book. Use it especially with new books, richly illustrated ones, or a page where a lot is happening. On a familiar favourite, your child may want to race to the words they know by heart, and that is fine too.
Let your child read the pictures back
Once your child is used to looking first, hand them the role. Ask them to tell you the story from the pictures before you read a word. Preschoolers love being the one who "reads" to you, and doing so builds their vocabulary, sequencing and confidence all at once. Their version may differ every time, which is a feature, not a fault; each retelling is imagination at work.
What commonly gets in the way
Feeling you must read every word, in order, right away is the main barrier. There is no prize for finishing fastest. Lingering on a picture is not a delay; it is where a lot of the learning happens.
Turning it into an interrogation is the other trap. If every page brings a stream of questions, the fun drains out. Ask one or two good questions, leave space for your child to think, and keep the mood light and curious.
When to seek more support
Talking about pictures suits almost every child and needs no special skill. It is worth a friendly word with your health visitor or GP if, more broadly, your child rarely looks at or points to pictures by around eighteen months to two years, is not joining words together by around age three, or does not seem to see the pictures clearly, for example holding books very close or not noticing details. These are general checkpoints for language and vision, offered as gentle prompts rather than alarms.
The point to keep
To talk about pictures before reading the words, slow down, look together, ask a couple of open questions, and let your child predict and read the images back to you. Then read the text and compare. This small habit turns a book from something you perform into something you explore together, and it quietly builds the thinking, language and love of stories that make a confident reader.
Key point: Pause to look and talk about the pictures before you read the text, ask a couple of open questions, and let your child predict, so reading becomes active and rich.