Reading to a toddler

In my opinion (and especially with active boys), just read what you can when you can. My second son could never sit still for a book, and I wanted him to think of reading time as special and fun, so I didn’t make him sit still for the whole book.

We have two approaches for this. First, we’ve read from day of birth so they usually let us get through the book front to back. My other defense to get them back to that if they lose the habit is to sit them with a snack while we read together. Their hands are full and I can turn pages.

We talk a lot about taking turns here too, so we may grab a stack of books and for my turn I get to turn the pages and read. For their turn they hold the book, turn pages (or NOT!), and I read what I can or make up a story based on pictures on the page they open to.

Final thing- we have shelves of board books in strategic places and they have full access. I like to grab a stack and stick it in a strategic spot, like on the floor by me in the kitchen if I’m cooking, or on their favorite seat in the living room with a blanket to snuggle. Then they get to spend time when they want ‘looking’ at books without me messing up their fun, but when we sit to read it’s time for taking turns again.