Making Reading with Toddlers Fun

How to Help Your Preschooler Enjoy Reading and Books

Reading with toddlers requires a slightly different skill set than reading to babies. After all, toddlers have out grown their fascination with eating their books and hopefully have developed a longer attention span than when they were babies. They can now begin to absorb and enjoy the story lines along with the colorful pictures that they have always liked to see. This provides parents with the opportunity to take their children to a whole new level of adventure with books. Below are some ideas that can help making reading a fun experience for both you and your toddler.

1)Be sure to select a book that is age and content appropriate for your young child. Every child has his or her level of development - only you know your child best. If a book is over your child's head, no matter how great this book is, shelf it until your child is ready to appreciate it. It is no fun for anyone to read an interesting book to an uninterested child.

2)Make your child a part of the story! Use your child's name instead of the main character's when reading the book. Instead of “Everybody loves the little gorilla”, make it “Everybody loves Billy” or “Everybody loves Annie.” Incorporate family members in your story too. Instead of “grandma loves him,” and “his aunts and uncles love him,” make it “Nana loves Annie,” and “Uncle John and Auntie Mary love Annie.” Let your child be the little caterpillar; the beautiful flower. You child will enjoy the books more since he is on the center stage of all his books.

3)Don't forget the action. It is great fun to act out certain scenes in a story. As you read “Here come clown feet” squeeze your child's little nose and make a clown sound. And when you read “Here come pig feet” push your nose up and say “Oink, oink.” When you find ways to act out the silly scenes, you and your child will giggle through the favorite scenes of your books over and over again.