How to Engage your Toddler in Reading

March is reading month, so I wanted to share a bit about how to engage toddlers in reading at home! Read on for book recommendations and ways to keep reading fun and entertaining for your little one!

Use Interactive Books

• Flap Books- Flap books are a wonderful way to encourage children to participate in reading at home. They are hands on and build anticipation and excitement during reading. My personal favorite is “Where’s Spot?” books as they have simple vocabulary and pictures. One communication and language tip is to ask questions and pause before opening flaps to encourage toddlers to answer. For example, “What is inside the box?!” (pause for 10 seconds). If they don’t answer you can simply comment on what you see “Ooh a snake! eek!”. 

• Sticker Books - Sticker books are a great way to engage in reading at a young age. They are fun, interactive, and also work on following directions and fine motor skills for young children. My personal favorites are the Little Stickers, First Stickers, and Reusable sticker books by Paperpie Books. They are easy to use and are filled with robust vocabulary for children. 

• Touch-and-Feel Books - Touch and feel books add a soothing sensory component to books and help children better learn about the words they are hearing/reading. My favorites are the “That’s not my series” by PaperPie books. 

Follow their Lead

Allow your child to pick out the books they would like to experience reading. Maybe they have a specific area of interest such as cars, weather, animals, etc. Let them explore their interests through books if you can. Even if they choose the same book over and over again to bring to you, that is okay. Repetition is key to learning any skill. 

Face your Child While Reading

If you have a baby or young toddler at home, try having them face you so they can see your lips and face while reading books. This allows for them to see how sounds and words are produced by watching your mouth and lips and also experiencing your facial expressions. For babies, you can prop them up on a boppy and young toddlers can sit in your lap in a straddle position. 

Read in Different Ways 

• Have a book picnic outside - Switch up your routine and bring a basket of books, a blanket, and lunch outside. Set up a “book picnic” and enjoy an afternoon of reading in the sunshine. This is also a great way to relate and experience stories that talk about nature, weather, seasons, etc. The outdoors gives you a meaningful context for learning about mother nature and more!

• Create a reading fort - Set up a fort with blankets and pillows and read books together inside. Reading forts are great for rainy days or just slow afternoons. Make it extra fun and read in the dark with flashlights. 

• Create a book train - Book trains are a great way to get your child excited about reading and creating some movement in their day. Collect a large number of books (10-20) and have your child line them up in a column fashion (this is called a “book train!”). They can walk, run, or choo-choo to a book and bring it to you to read. Or they can walk along the book train and stop at a book they want to explore!

  
  

Encourage Reading with Others

Involve other family members or friends. Reading with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and older siblings puts a new spin on things! They may focus on different parts of the storyline with your child and engage them in different ways than they are typically used to while reading with parents. This may also encourage older siblings to practice their reading skills (a parenting win)!

I hope you enjoyed this "funtastic" blog post!

-Lexie Starnes, MA CCC-SLP