Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers

What are the benefits of sharing books with toddlers?

Reading with your child helps to lay the building blocks for independent reading later on and is a wonderful experience for parents to share with their children.

• Shared reading promotes bonding and communication
• Children learn important skills such as how to hold a book, turn pages and reading words from left to right
• Books expose children to a wide variety of ideas, words and concepts
• Spending time with you and books helps to build a lifelong love of reading

How do you share books with toddlers?

• Reading for just a few minutes at a time is perfectly fine. It's okay if you don't read the whole story!
• Allow your child to participate by selecting the book, turning pages and asking questions
• Use expression and vary tone to bring the book to life
• Ask your child to identify objects in a book

Look for books that have . . . 

• different textures to touch
• lift the flap
• simple words and phrasing
• large, colorful pictures
• familiar concepts and events
• rhyme and repetition
• concepts such as ABC's or 1,2,3's
• opportunity for movement or making sounds