Toddler Reading Time (continued)

For younger toddlers (12 to 24 months) you'll want sturdy board books with pictures (especially photos) of kids doing the things they do every day. Books about bedtime, baths, or mealtime are all good choices; so are books about saying hello or good-bye. Keep active hands busy with lift-the-flap pages and textures to feel.

Toddlers from 24 to 36 months are beginning to be able to turn paper pages, so this is a good time to expand beyond board books. They are also beginning to understand the mechanics of reading and like books that are repetitive and easy to memorize so that they can "read" along.

By now you will start to know what your child's passions are - whether trains, trucks, or stuffed bears, find books about these things of interest. Children this age also like books about children, families, and animals.

Toddlers love to look at homemade books, scrapbooks, or photo albums full of people they know (try adding simple captions). Poetry and songbooks are good choices for this age group too. You may find that story time turns into sing-along time.

Making Books Readily Available

Read-aloud time isn't the only opportunity your child should have to spend time with books - toddlers love to choose and look at books on their own. Keep books in a basket on the floor or on a low shelf where your child can reach them easily and look at them independently. Keep some books in the car and always have a few handy in your bag for long waits at the doctor or lines at the post office.

Take your child to the library or the bookstore and let him or her select books to read at home. Many libraries and bookstores have toddler story times that your child might enjoy. And let your child see you reading - he or she is sure to imitate you.

Reviewed by: Laura Bailet, PhD
Date reviewed: April 2006