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Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers

Sharing Books with Toddlers

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

Choosing Books for Toddlers

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