I have always been fortunate that my two years old has loved being read to. From the beginning, I read to him. He didn’t like to sleep much as an infant and I had a lot of time to read to him. It seems that I read Good Night Moon a million times. I started reading it in funny voices or singing the words to familiar tunes.
Now that JDaniel is two I still read to him a lot. He has been “reading” to himself for about nine months. He isn’t really reading he talks to himself about the pictures and retells the parts of story he has memorized.
How am I trying to keep him interested in books:
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I have surrounded him with books that he loves. We have books in almost every room of the house and in the car beside his car seat.
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We make going to the library an adventure. A library visit is a mission to find books on the shelves that he loves, capture them in our library bag, and bring them home. Right now that means checking a lot of books out of the library about trucks, front loaders, and trains
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The library’s summer reading program has excellent prizes. I mentioned earlier this week that JDaniel earned a pass to a water park and free Ice Dream from Chick Filet-A. Even someone that wasn’t a reader might have been motivated for the prizes.
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JDaniel can see that we enjoy reading. He sees us check a book out of the library for us to read. We can be found reading when the other parent is playing with him. Right now he models a lot of what he sees.
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I picture walk (tell a revised version of a story while looking at the details in the pictures) him through books that have too many words, but pictures that will interest him. As he gets older we will revisit these books and read the actual story.
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We have one of his stuffed animals join us in reading. Later I tell him the animal wants to hear the story again. When he doesn’t want to read with me, he likes to read with them. If JDaniel has a sibling, I would have him read to them.
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We talk about books we’ve read as we go through everyday life and encounter things we have read in books.
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We act out stories with toys.
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We go to the library’s website and reserve books that we have loved and want to read again. When we go to the library and they are there, it is so exciting.
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Visiting a bookstore on a field trip to read is fun too. Sometimes they have story hours. JDaniel loves to read the book someone else is reading.
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Journaling about what you like and don’t like about books is also a great idea. It helps you remember the books you have read and enjoyed. I hope to start this with JDaniel when he gets older.
You may have your own great ideas. If you have some you would love to share, please leave a comment. I am always looking for new ways to encourage reading.
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Those are all really great tips. I always read to my kids at bedtime, even when they were babies. I swear that’s why they all love to read now. Instill it in them while they are young and it sticks with them.
Glad he loves “reading” so much!
I love hearing about different ways that others get their children excited about reading! Thanks for sharing this wonderful post.
I have always been an avid reader and started reading to my son while I was pregnant. He loves books and has actually thrown a couple of tantrums when reading time was over.
He is almost 15 months old, so I also often incorporate retelling the story through pictures and actions. Even though he hardly speaks, I know he is catching on and understanding because a couple of months ago he started to act out his favorite parts.
I agree that they are never too young to instill the love of reading!
Such great tips! My kids love to be read to also, and now Abby (7) is reading at a 4th grade level! It really is so good for them to be read to from early on.
That is really great. I just signed my kids up for the summer reading program here.
You are amazing. Where were your tips when my boys were younger.
p.s. Hope you get that gift of sleeping in and having your husband get JDaniel’s day started. Want me to ask him?
We are heading to sign up for the library program next week…also joining in on Borders. Another one of my favorites is Goodwill, 99 cents for a paperback! $1.29 for a hardback…can’t go wrong. And you know my addiction to Goodwill! 🙂
Great tips!
Great post, instilling a love of reading is so great and never too early to start. We love going to the local library…the kids love having their own library card and checking out their own books. Thanks for the tips!
love the tip of reading to the stuffed animals…
will start that tomorrow