Skill· 20mo–2.5y· 3 min

Story Friend

Parent and child share a picture book across three short phases: picture-pointing in any book, sustained story interest and engagement with a familiar book, and two embedded language probes — sentence completion (fill-in-the-last-word) and volume modulation (loud vs soft voice). Covers four oral language and problem_solving milestones at 21–32mo. Ideal for wind-down or quiet time.

Start voice activity

Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.

What you'll need

Have two books ready: any picture book with clear images, and a familiar book your child knows very well (one you've read many times). Sit together comfortably — lap, couch, or floor all work.

How it works

1~45s
Open any picture book to a page with clear pictures. Point to objects one at a time and ask: 'Where's the [dog]? Where's the [ball]?' Try 6 or 7 different pictures across a couple of pages. Does your child point to the named pictures? How many did they get? Tell me.
Watch for: Child points to 5 or more named pictures in a book
2~60s
Now switch to your child's familiar book. Read it with expression — vary your voice, point to things on the page. Just read naturally. Watch what your child does: Does they look at the pages? Reach toward pictures? Turn pages? Seem to anticipate what comes next? Tell me after a minute or two of reading.
Watch for: Child shows sustained interest in the story — attends, participates, anticipates
3~45s
Two quick language probes now. First, fill-in-the-blank: read a page from the familiar book that has a repeated phrase. Just before the last word, pause and wait — see if your child fills it in. Try two or three phrases. Then switch to volume: whisper 'talk like me…' and say something in a very quiet voice. Then say in a normal or loud voice 'now talk like this!' and say something louder. Does your child copy your volume both times? Tell me.
Watch for: Child completes a familiar phrase or sentence from a well-known book

What this develops

Visual example

Coming soon