Reading together:

• makes your toddler feel special and shows them how much fun reading can be.
• builds your child's ability to listen for longer periods
• can be a comforting and richly rewarding part of your daily routine.
• demonstrates the value your family places on books and reading.
• helps toddlers understand that books contain ideas, pictures, stories, and information.
• plants the first seed of understanding that the words in books are made of symbols (letters, numbers, etc.) that have meaning. In time, your child will learn that these symbols are letters, which form words.
• teaches toddlers about how books work, including how to turn pages.

3. Toddlers learn by playing, seeing, and touching, so sturdy interactive books with flaps and textures can be great fun.
4. Toddlers love to bounce, clap, and move when they hear rhymes, chants, or poems.
5. Adjust the words in the book to match your toddler’s interest and attention span.
6. Take a picture walk describing what you see on the page. Encourage your toddler to help.
7. Give your toddler something to hold or do if they have trouble sitting for a whole story.
8. Personalize the book by substituting familiar names for the book?s characters or just reading the passages they particularly love.
9. Be willing to read the same book over and over. And over!
10. Talk about what you are reading and what you notice. Encourage your toddler to share as well.

Lay a foundation for reading enjoyment and language development as you share books, songs, chants, and rhymes with your toddler. Read a variety of books and vary the delivery so it matches your toddler’s interest, attention, and mood. Read every day. Enjoy. Learn. Repeat.

• to hear the same favorite book, passage, or page again and again...and again!
• to open flaps and turn pages
• hear you use different voices for story characters
• when you cuddle together for stories.
• to be soothed/calmed by a story.
• books that encouragement movement.
• to hop, clap, tap, etc. when they hear rhythm.
• to repeat lines and/or finish sentences in favorite books.

• board books.
• cloth books.
• special books with paper that doesn’t tear.
• foam/plastic books (that can withstand meals and art activities.)
• touch and feel books.
• lift-the flap books.
• smaller format books that are easily carried about.
• concept books that feature a limited number of objects on a page for pointing and naming. Our favorite concept books for toddlers focus on single subjects including colors, vehicles, babies, toys, etc.
• books on any topic your child finds fascinating.

Check out Go Reader Go book reviews to find books that can help launch your toddler’s lifelong love of reading.

• Chant repetitive lines “...that lived in the house that Jack built.”
• Focus on the pictures (ignoring the words for now). Have your toddler “read” the story to you using only the pictures and what they remember. This pretend reading is an important step in becoming a reader.
• One way your toddler can play with pictures and also learn important pre-reading skills is by doing a picture walk. A picture walk is when the story is told using only the pictures. In the beginning, you will need to model how to do a picture walk. In time, your child will be able to do their own picture walk. This helps your child understand that pictures can also help tell the story. Picture walks build vocabulary, help your child understand story sequence and are fun! There are two types of picture walks.
  • Short picture walks describe what is on a single page. “What do you see happening on this page? Why do you think the elephant is looking sad?”
  • Long picture walks tell the entire story with pictures instead of words. They help children get a sense of what is happening and how pictures combined with words tell a story.

• You can use pictures to:
  • tell the story without reading the words.
  • make up your own version of the story.
  • name things on the page. “I’m pointing to the cow. Now you point to the cow.” (If your toddler doesn’t point, don’t force the issue or their fingers. When they are ready and if they are interested, they may point. Either way, you can have fun and learn.)

• Recognize your toddler’s need to be physical and:
  • give them something to hold or do while they listen (such as string wooden beads, draw or hold a special toy, etc.)
  • encourage them to move like the characters in the story that march, jump, etc.
  • sway, clap, or dance to the rhythm in the story, poem, or chant.

• Personalize the book and:
  • substitute your child?s name into the story.
  • focus on what your toddler loves in that specific book. If they only want to hear the chant, give that to them without the story...(“Run, run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man.”)
  • make books for or about your toddler.
  • notice what works with your toddler and do more of that.

• Read every day, choosing times when your toddler is able to listen and enjoy the story. This time may vary depending on mood, activities, etc. Don’t force reading on a screaming or overtired toddler.
• Help your toddler enjoy stories, rhymes, or chants by frequently reading (and re-reading) the ones they love.
• Avoid baby talk and making up baby names for common objects shown in books. When you call it “water” rather than “wa wa”, your toddler develops language and builds a bank of conversational language.

• Seize the moment by always having a book in your car, diaper bag, purse, or backpack.
• If you’re stuck in line, waiting for the dinner pasta to boil, or cuddling on the couch, pull out a book and enjoy it together.
• Download a favorite picture book on your phone, tablet, or eReader to help soothe your child.