Reading to your toddler can help to instill a love of books that will last them a lifetime. By reading to your toddler, you begin to build the foundation for literacy. In addition, reading with your toddler and talking about what you have read help your child to use listening and talking skills. Reading introduces new ideas, concepts, letters, words, and experiences. Reading to your toddler helps her to be more comfortable when it comes time to start to write and learn to read.

Reading out loud to your toddler is an important step between being a baby and being a toddler. During this transitional time, your child is making huge leaps in terms of his vocabulary. He is also learning a great deal about shapes, colors, animals, weather, seasons, and letters. By reading books that deal with these subjects, such as color books or alphabet books, you reinforce the learning and development that they are doing.

In addition to the learning that goes on when you are reading to your toddler, this is also a special time for you to bond. Reading to your toddler on a daily basis shows her that you are interested in her, and that you care about the things that she is doing and the things that she is learning. A specific, daily, scheduled reading time can be a great comfort to a child, and can even be a thoroughly relaxing activity to engage in before bedtime or naptime that will help them to begin to settle down.

Some active toddlers might not want to sit and actively listen while you read. However, just because she is wandering around the room or playing with her toy at the other end of the couch doesn’t mean that she isn’t listening. Often, a toddler won’t be able to sit through the reading of an entire book. That is fine, you can always finish the book at another time.

When reading to your toddler, you should encourage them to participate. Allow them to pick between a selection of books. Ask them for help turning the pages. Ask them to find certain things in the picture on a page, even if the story doesn’t have anything to do with them. For your toddler’s favorite books, encourage them to finish your sentences. This works especially well with books that have rhymes or repeated phrases.

Posted in Baby and Toddler

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