10 Fun and Simple Ways to Read with your 2 Year Old

Both educators and parents know the value of starting a love for reading at a young age. It is never too soon to start reading with baby! Luckily, there are thousands of great books available for all ages. Reading with 2 year olds can bring so much enjoyment and instill a love for books.

Here are 10 simple ideas you can use to engage your child while reading together:

1. Choose a quiet place to minimize distractions. Phones, TV, other people or even pets can easily distract this precious quiet time with you and baby reading together.

2. Choose a book with large pictures. Larger is better in this case, this will help the child focus on the images and notice details.

3. Preschoolers love to look at animals, people or familiar things. Choose these types of popular early reader/picture books to grasp their attention and recall the things they may already recognize.

4. Choose books with colorful backgrounds or pages. They are called primary colors for a reason! Reading colorful books are a plus for focus & learning. This is how they can begin to associate object with colors, i.e. green grass, white bunny, etc.

5. Choose a less complicated story. Just a small amount of drama is key for this age. Too much story dimension or drama will cause them to be confused, uncomfortable and lose focus on the fun of reading together. Keep it simple.

6. Reading with inflection and and ask questions. Take time to allow your child to notice all they see on the pages and ask what they think. Allow them to experience the story, the words, the colors and the objects.

7. Consider a song or prop to go along with the story. Stuffed animals of characters in the story is always fun and brings a story to life. Songs and music is a great way to have fun with the book!

8. Keep it short based on your child's ability to hold attention. If your child loses interest half way through - stop. Resume the rest of the book another time. This will ensure that the book is fun and not a problem or chore.

9. Read a book many times. Especially if your child loves it! Understand a 2 year old’s love of repetition. They will grow confidence when they already know answers to questions and all the colors and names of animals, for example. This is a sign that learning through reading is actually happening while everyone is having fun.

10. Let your child choose the book. Allowing children a choice shows their interests and will set in a love of reading for the future!

Written by: Jorja Stark, HCP Author. Her book, "Who Will Catch a Milkweed?" is available on Amazon.