How to Share Books with Your Children
18 to 23 Months Old
18 to 23 Months Can:
- Choose a book to share & tell you they want more book or another
- Point to a favorite picture & say a word or two about it
- Look at familiar animals and make their sounds
- Finish some sentences from books they know well, such as: Happy faces or Sad faces
- Enjoy a trip to your local library for story time
You Can:
- Find a quiet, cozy place to cuddle up with a few sturdy books
- Use reading together as a way to calm and comfort your child
- Read the same book again. Toddlers learn by repetition
- Help your toddler understand by speaking in slow, short sentences. Wait for her to take a turn
- Make up games while looking at the pictures.
- Copy the name your toddler gives a picture, then add a comment like: Yes, a plane! The plane is flying. The plane is flying in the sky.
24 to 29 Months Old
24 to 29 Month Olds Can:
- Choose a favorite book to read with you
- Love reading the same book over and over
- Repeat some of the words or phrases you say or read
- Ask you questions about the pictures or story
- Love laughing at silly stories
You Can:
- Find a quiet, cozy place to cuddle up with a few sturdy books
- Use reading together as a way to calm & comfort your child
- Start a discussion by repeating an important word your child has just said
- Respond with excitement to your child’s questions and comments
- Use different voices for different characters
- Count pictures and wait for your child to repeat the numbers after you
- Take your child to the library