The Art of Reading to a Toddler: My Missteps and Victories
Inspiring my hyper, uninterested 3-year-old boy to love books
I’m one of those mothers who introduces everything too early. Eager to share the things I love with my son, I keep finding myself blazing into concepts way before he’s ready.
I got him a bike before he could reasonably balance it, a coloring book before he could hold a crayon, and I started reading to him before he could tell the difference between a book and a brick.
It was reading I adored the most, so I clung to it despite the obvious fact that he was more interested in window blinds than any words coming out of my mouth.
Somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old, I started to worry that he should be paying more attention. Why didn’t he like Dr. Seuss yet? What is more utterly captivating than Vlad Vladikoff?
So I made it my mission to figure out what I was doing wrong. I read a huge stack of library books about children’s literature — and how to inspire a love of reading in the wiggliest, most disinterested kids. (Pro Tip: Don’t read a 65-page Dr. Seuss book to an 18-month-old child).
Despite my ridiculous start, I learned an enormous amount about kids and books, and many epiphanies were not intuitive.
The good news is, my son now cherishes stories. He tucks himself under my arm and listens intently, and he remembers them for months and months after we return them to the library. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t beg me to read.
Here’s what worked.
Let them use their bodies
It’s normal for little kids to need to move their bodies. Let your child move about the room and piddle. If the book is good — and you’re reading it well — they’ll come peeking over your shoulder in no time.
Ideas: Toys like magnetic tiles, Cuisenaire Rods, Lincoln Logs, puzzles, sticker books, felt busy boards or coloring books.
Choose fiddly books
The best advice I ever received was to buy lift-a-flap books when my son was still little. He loved any book that had audible, sturdy flaps he could interact with while I was reading. Textural books that have soft fabrics, bumpy, rubbery or pokey pages were also a big hit.
Book Recommendations: “Never Touch a Porcupine,” “Never Touch a Monster,” “Lift-a-Flap Peak-a-Boo Blue!”
Make the voices
I’m sorry, yes. By far, the most successful change I ever made to my reading practice was when I started to make different voices for different characters. It’s hard at first, but soon you get a repertoire that you use over and over again. If this does not come naturally to you (it did not for me), then I highly recommend the book “The Artful Read-Aloud” by Rebecca Bellingham. The audiobook is fantastic, and it’s available on Libby for free.
Some stories are easier to do voices for than others. Either choose books with only a couple of characters or books that introduce each one slowly. Check out a couple favorites below:
Book Recommendations: “Dozens of Doughnuts,” “Interrupting Chicken,” Any of the Mo Willems books, but we like “Should I Share My Ice Cream?”
Don’t read bad books
There are a lot of terrible children’s books out there. Sometimes they’re gimmicky (5 Minute Stories!). Sometimes they’re based on popular TV characters whose marketing team decided to widen the franchise.
Often, the author had a social message, educational goal or moral they were trying to push, and the storytelling took the backseat. I consider these the “Eat Your Veggies” books, written shallowly with parents’ goals in mind. While these books are occasionally useful, my son has never — never — begged me to read one over and over again.
Instead, look for time-tested stories that generations of children love.
In the library, start with folktales like “The Three Little Pigs,” “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” or “The Little Red Hen.” Our favorite versions are done by Paul Galdone.
In Barnes & Noble, you’ll find time-tested stories in the paperback section of the picture books. They’ve been around so long they rarely sell hardbacks.
Book Recommendations: “The Circus Ship,” “The Snail and the Whale,” “The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher,” “Frog and Toad Are Friends”
Don’t shy away from scary concepts
I think many parents (myself included) worry over introducing a true antagonist (AKA the Big Bad Wolf) to their little ones. But real conflict creates delicious tension in a story, and kids sense when it’s missing. My son thrills in any story with a Big Bad Wolf or a troll in it. If you have a sensitive child, tread lightly and try making slightly silly voices for the scary characters, or exaggerate sound effects to take the edge off a tense scene.
Just don’t censor all fear-inducing things out of your library. Give kids bland stories, and they’ll think reading is boring.
Book Recommendations: “Where the Wild Things Are,” “The Gruffalo,” “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” “The Berenstain Bears In the Dark”
When all else fails, find food
One of the best things to do with fiddly kids is give them a snack while you’re reading aloud. Better yet, pair a snack with a book about food! Kids love books about fun treats like cupcakes, pancakes or candy. Honestly, my son has liked every single food book we’ve ever read.
My favorite thing to do is make a big bowl of popcorn for storytime so we both can snack while we read.
Book Recommendations: “Pancakes for Breakfast,” “Pete’s a Pizza,” “Hi, Pizza Man!” “The Giant Jam Sandwich,” “The Big Honey Hunt,” “There Are No Bears in This Bakery,” “Dragons Love Tacos”
Grown-up book suggestions for parents
“The Read Aloud Family” by Sarah Mackenzie
“Honey for a Child’s Heart” by Gladys Hunt
“The Artful Read-Aloud” by Rebecca Bellingham
“Books Children Love” by Elizabeth Wilson
“How to Tell Stories to Children” by Joseph Sarosy and Silke Rose West
(Don’t worry, I read most of them all the way through).
Brittany Meiling is a former newspaper journalist and current freelance editor for local news media. She was the founding managing editor of the Springfield Daily Citizen, a nonprofit online news organization in Springfield, Missouri. Before that, she was a strategy and growth analyst at the Los Angeles Times and a tech and science reporter at the San Diego Union-Tribube.
Thanks for sharing Brittany! Love these tips! Found so many of these to be true with my toddler too.