8 Great Reading Tips for Parents of Toddlers

What are tips for reading with your toddler?

1. Don't expect your toddler to sit still
2. Keep book time short and simple — and often
3. Let them recite rhymes, sing songs, and make mistakes
4. Choose engaging, age-appropriate books
5. Point things out in the book
6. Encourage play that involves the topic of your book
7. Ask them lots of questions
8. Play to their favorites — or let them pick

Reading with your toddler is a great learning and bonding activity. Not only are you helping them become familiar with new sounds, words, and pictures, but you’re also teaching them the value of books! As a result, your child will build their literacy skills early on, which helps immensely later on in school. 

But, having book time with a toddler isn’t easy. If you’re wondering how to make this activity easier for you and your child, then take a look at our top tips for reading to toddlers! 

Why reading with toddlers is important

But before we get into that, why is reading so important for a growing mind?

Sharing stories, talking, and taking an active role in teaching them how to communicate benefit their overall development in many ways.

By introducing new sounds, pictures, and the meaning behind them, you’re helping them build up their communication skills early on. Reading also shows them the benefits of active learning and focus, which they can later apply in school. Furthermore, it encourages their imagination, and their desire to learn more about the world around them. 

Many children’s books impart important lessons, such as managing emotions, conflict resolution, and other things they’ll need when interacting with others. And lastly, reading together is a great opportunity to spend time and bond with your toddler! 

That said, let’s cover all the ways you can make the most out of your reading time:

Don't expect your toddler to sit still

Toddlers can’t sit still for too long. So, don’t be discouraged if your child starts getting restless and wiggly during book time.

You can even use their boundless energy to enhance this learning experience. Let them act out stories, romp, and tumble as you read to them. Don’t worry, they’re listening and enjoying the process of reading with you! 

Keep book time short and simple — and often

Though you can do a lot to keep them engaged in the activity, toddlers still have shorter attention spans than older children do. So it’s best to read to them for just a few minutes at a time. You can set aside time in your routine to do this several times a day, which is better for their attention span. Just make sure to pick out books with simple and short texts so their mind doesn’t wander!

Let them recite rhymes, sing songs, and make mistakes

Toddlers are fascinated with sounds. So, don’t be afraid to ham it up while you’re reading. You can make up songs and weird sound effects while reading, which they’re sure to enjoy. You can also let them recite rhymes and sing songs if your book has any.

If so, give them time to finish the rhyme or song. You can also model it for them so that they can follow your lead. When they make mistakes, be gentle about correcting them! Once your toddler is familiar with the passage, let them repeat it as much as they’d like before moving on to the next page.

Choose engaging, age-appropriate books

When choosing a book to read to your toddler, make sure it’s engaging. Books that feature animals, make sounds, have moving flaps and pop-ups, or use textured panels are great at keeping them engaged and interested. Likewise, books with detailed illustrations are great for exploring and asking questions. 

These books must also be age-appropriate. These are usually simple books that you can finish in 4 to 5 minutes, and contain topics like animals, cars, fairies, pets, stars and planets, castles, the ocean, and the like.

Point things out in the book

Children’s books have eye-catching, colorful, and expressive illustrations in them. So, don’t miss out on the opportunity to call your toddler’s attention to them! Point things out on the pages as you read. Doing this will help them make the mental connection between the words you’re saying and the pictures in the book. It can also help call their attention back to the book and keep them engaged with the story!

Encourage play that involves the topic of your book

Lots of children’s books are about things that you can include their toys in. If your book is about animals, then set up a zoo with their stuffed animals. If it’s about cars, then stage a race with their toy vehicles. 

Doing this will make reading with your toddler a fun and enjoyable experience for them. It may also help them understand the topic of the story if you act it out with their favorite toys! You can even put your toddler in charge of arranging and moving their toys, and ask lots of questions. You’ll be surprised at how much they can express through play. 

Ask them lots of questions

Whichever book you pick, be sure to ask them questions about what’s happening in the story. Asking questions gives them a chance to voice out their opinions, process the story, and engage in a little conversation.

Toddlers will also start developing strong opinions and thoughts early on. They have a lot of interesting ideas to share with you! And what better way to encourage them to speak about these things than during your reading time. This is a great way to help them build up reading comprehension and communication skills. 

Play to their favorites — or let them pick

The last thing to keep in mind is that picking out the right book is half the battle. It’s crucial that the book can hold your toddler’s attention, and appealing to their interests is the best way to achieve that.

You can try using books that directly talk about their interests, such as trains, fantasy adventures, and the like. Then, once you build up their library through trial and error, you can read their favorite stories again and again. Doing this will help build their enthusiasm for reading!

Just remember that the goal here is to build a positive experience with books. So, if it seems like your toddler just isn’t into the book you’ve chosen, you don’t have to force them to finish. Follow their lead, and keep things light and fun! There’s no wrong way to read together as long as you’re both enjoying it.

Key Takeaway

Reading with your toddler is a great way to bond, build up their language skills, and encourage their interests and imagination! Use our tips for reading to toddlers to make this activity fun and easy for you and your child.

Looking for great books to read to your kids? Check out Funtastic Stuff’s book collection here! We have all the educational toys you need to help your child build up essential skills that they can use later in life.