7 Tips on How to Encourage a Love of Reading in Your Toddler: Build Literacy Skills From the Beginning
All good parents want their children to succeed in life. If your child has a solid literacy foundation from the get-go, it can not only help them in school, but all throughout adulthood. These literacy skills come through reading, of course; after all, how can you get better at something if you never practice it? The ability to read can get you far in life, so if you have a child and you want to help build their literacy skills from an early age, or to help build a love for reading, I have a few tips on what I did (and currently am doing) with my toddler, who, at the time of writing this, is almost 19 months old.
It’s worth noting that forcing your toddler to do anything won’t get you anywhere, so if they’d prefer to play with their other toys or run around the yard, by all means, let them do it. Remember, we want to build a love for reading, not put in their minds that it’s a chore to be done. It’s also important to say that every toddler is different. Just like young children, teenagers, and adults, we all have our preferences. Some toddlers, as stated, may rather have rough-and-tumble play than sitting down and reading a book. This is fine, too! Follow the lead of your toddler and encourage reading when you can.
Keep reading to see what I’ve done!
Start Early (if possible)
The love for reading begins when your child is born. Read to them when they are very little! This can help with several things, actually, not just fostering a love for reading. For one, it can help with their speech and language skills, as (obviously), they’re hearing their language being spoken. Not only this, but spending time with your baby like this can form a stronger bond between you and them.
I will say, I got a little frustrated and sad when my baby was young, as she didn’t want to read the books, she wanted to hit them, throw them, and eat them! So, I was disappointed that I couldn’t read and was worried that it would affect her reading skills. However, I feel this is totally normal for young babies just a few months old and, honestly, totally okay. Babies experience the world through taste, so them “eating” the book is just another way they’re interacting with the book.
So, when they’re at that age that reading to them is nearly impossible because they want to destroy the book, just try it and read when you can. Don’t frustrate yourself, or them. My baby didn’t really start enjoying books until she was about a year old and she finally realized what books were for. Ever since then, she wants me to read 10 or more books a day. (Sometimes the same book over and over 5 times in a row.) Every child is different, of course, so just follow their lead.
2. Have a Literacy-Rich Environment
You can’t read books if you don’t have any books. So, make sure you have some quality reading materials for you and your toddler to read together! Obtaining books can either be inexpensive or absolutely free. Here are some ideas on how to build a literacy-rich environment.
Go to your local thrift store and look for some books! I love Half Price Books and Buy Buy Baby for books for my little one. See if your town has a discount book store!
Instead of birthday or Christmas cards for your child (or even for a baby shower), have family members and friends get a book for them. They can sign it and everything. Plus, it won’t be stored away somewhere like a card would be, so you and your child can look back on what was written every time you open it.
Check out your local library. They are bound to have a children’s program of some sort. My local library, for example, has a toddler read-aloud once a week, and often hosts fun events for children of all ages.
See if you are able to get some free books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It is not available everywhere, but you can very quickly type in your address to see if you are eligible. If you are, you will get one free book sent to your child a month until they are old enough for Kindergarten. That’s a LOT of books! Your socio-economic status doesn’t matter, just your location. I recently signed up for it and we got our first book the other day! She can’t read it right now, as it’s not a board book and she’ll destroy it, but we’ll definitely save it for the future.
3. Choose Age-Appropriate Books
There are a few reasons why we want to choose age-appropriate books for our children:
The material the book is made from will change depending on the age range. For example, babies and toddlers have board books because they are very rough with their books. If you don’t get a board book for your toddler, it will probably be ripped on mistake (or on purpose). So, you’ll want to get something that can last.
If the book is too mature or too young for your child, they’re not going to be interested in it. Toddlers have a very short attention span. In fact, a good rule of thumb is to add 1-2 minutes of attention per year old they are. So, a 1-year-old will have a 1-2 minute attention span, while a 2-year-old can focus for 2-4 minutes, and so on. (This is generally speaking, of course.) A toddler is not going to want to sit and read a book that has too many words on one page. Likewise, an older child will get very bored, very quickly, if they are made to read a “baby book”.
Most books will have an age range on the front or back cover that can help you determine if that book is right for your child. Again, this is generally speaking, so keep in mind the interests and abilities of your child when choosing books.
4. Make Reading Fun/Interesting
This is SO important! Your children will be able to pick up if you’re bored or not. If they can tell you aren’t enjoying the book, they probably won’t, either. Here are a few ways I personally make reading fun/interesting for my toddler:
Use silly voices when reading, especially if there are multiple characters. Be expressive and use sound effects!
Point out what you see on the page. “Wow! I see a pink snake! Ssss! Can you talk like a snake? Ssss!” Try not to ask too many questions, as they aren’t being quizzed, but opening the door to conversation is a great way to get them involved in the book.
Allow your child to read with any toys or stuffed animals, so it’s like you’re reading to them, too!
Let your child turn the pages themselves, if they can, or teach them how to (I try to position my fingers in-between the pages so she doesn’t turn too many pages at one time).
Choose books about things they are interested in. For example, my daughter loves animals, so many of her books have animals in them. If your toddler likes cars, get some car books! See what your toddler likes and try to get books about these things, and I bet it’ll make a difference!
5. Let Them See You Reading, Too!
I’m sure you’re aware that your toddlers are little copy cats and will imitate whatever they see or hear. For example, does your toddler ever want to eat the same food as you, wear your shoes, brush their teeth like you, or even copy the words you say? By this logic, if your toddlers see you reading, they’ll want to, also! This is the idea, at least. Obviously, as stated at the beginning of this blog post, toddlers have their own personalities and interests so they may prefer to play with their hands and climb and jump than sit and read.
So, get off your phone, your computer, or stop watching TV and read a book. Yes, easier said than done, and you may not get any actual reading done, but at least they’ll see you. When I read a book while my daughter is playing, she usually ends up climbing all over me or wanting me to read her book to her, but that’s okay! It’s either treat me as a personal playground while I’m reading or while I’m scrolling through my phone; the outcome is the same, either way. I find it’s easier for her (and me) if she’s involved in some sort of independent play while I sit on the ground with her against the wall reading the book. She’s in that stage where she doesn’t want to be away from me, so if I sit on the ground next to her, she’s more likely to actually play than to see what I’m doing on the couch. Perhaps you can try this if your toddler is having hard time playing independently.
6. Make Reading a Part of Your Routine
One way that I’ve made sure I read to my daughter every day is that I make it a part of our routine. We read when we wake up in the morning and before we go to bed at night. The other times throughout the day, she’ll ask me! I’m able to stay home with my daughter to focus on her and on my business, so I have the ability to do this. If you have to go to work outside the house and can’t read to your child throughout the day, even reading before bed will make the world of a difference. If you send your child to daycare, I’m sure they read during the day, but if a family, friend, or someone else watches your toddler during the day, make sure they have some books to read to your toddler throughout the day, if possible.
7. DEAR (Drop Everything And Read)
A great way to encourage reading is, whenever your child asks you to read something to them, you stop what you are doing and read! Of course, if you’re in the middle of something that could potentially be dangerous or is time-sensitive, such as if you’re taking something hot out of the oven, don’t want something to boil over, or really have to pee, this may not apply. But, if you’re sweeping or are folding clothes or on your phone - drop everything and read.
Put yourself into your toddler’s shoes. They don’t know how to read; they need your help. Imagine if you needed help with something, but the person capable of helping you either never did, or thought something was more important. Imagine how discouraging that would be. Now, it’s probably not so dramatic in real life, but, in my brain, the same principle applies. So, unless the circumstances literally prevent you from doing so, drop everything and read to your child when they ask. I know it can be annoying sometimes, especially if you’re engrossed in a task, but it’ll be worth it when your toddler sees that reading is super important and awesome! One day, they won’t need you to read. For now, help them out!
Some Literacy Materials to Help
Literacy skills and the alphabet go hand-in-hand, whether it’s letter recognition or knowing the sounds each letter makes. I’m working on a faith-based homeschool curriculum, and have some alphabet learning materials available for digital download. If your toddler seems interested in reading, maybe you can try taking it a step further and showing them the alphabet. It doesn’t have to be formal (and really shouldn’t be, at this age); even singing a song to them is lots of fun! Check out some of the alphabet materials below if you’re interested.
Good Luck!
Parenting can be tough, but reading doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Take it easy and follow the lead of your child.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Drop any of those below, or tag me on TikTok, Instagram, or Pinterest! My handle is @teachandachieve on all platforms. You can also fill out a form on the FAQ Page. I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Until next time!
-Aimee ♡
