Reading Habits in Toddlers

Question from Love to Read

Dear Ms. Mimi,

I’m not a big reader.  It just wasn’t my thing growing up, but I want my son to enjoy it.  What can I do to help foster this love for reading in him that I didn’t have growing up?

Dear Love to Read,

Oh, what a lovely question!  Reading is a fabulous way to incorporate language learning into the lives of your little ones. Children are curious and full of wonderment, and they are constantly seeking stimulation to fuel their rapidly growing minds. Maria Montessori calls it the Absorbent Mind.

Within the first few years of a child’s life including birth, they are actually mini geniuses.  Their minds have the capacity to take in new information and process it without effort!  Have you ever said something out of habit and the next thing you know your child repeats it the exact same way you said it?  Yes, this is the absorbent mind in full swing and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it!

That’s where reading comes into play. Reading is essential in building communication and introducing language. It promotes and helps build listening, memory, and vocabulary skills and while infants may not understand the words, they are able to intake your emotions and expressive sounds which help develop emotional and social development. 

Children love being with mommy and daddy, by simply setting aside special reading time to read aloud to your son he will see that reading is fun, and begin to make the connections between what he loves - you, your voice, and your closeness- to books. 

Here are a few guidelines to make the process picture perfect:

-  Keep it Short: Infants have short attention spans so reading for 10 -15 minutes once or twice a day is good.

- Book Choices: Pick books that you enjoy to read that is appropriate for their age. By doing so you will be more animated and bring more emotion into the story for your child.  Also choose board books or fabric books as they will want to nibble on them. "It's okay if they eat the pages," says Dr. Remer-Altman. This is their way of exploring. Soon they will learn to point as they make out familiar images.

- Repetition: By reading the same book over and over, the child will begin to know when to show certain emotions based on the inflections of your voice.

- Follow the Child: You will start to see your child evolve in his reading abilities. By seven to nine months your child will begin to copy you and turn multiple pages at a time.  By 1 year, your child will be more advanced and start turning single pages. He’ll also stop using it as a teething-ring which is a great time to start introducing paper books.

All children seek stimulation and reading is a great way to help satisfy their hungry minds while still sharing the closeness they love so much with you. But I will warn you, they may end-up turning YOU onto reading. Who would have thought? 

Ms Mimi Ha

Infant Montessori Lead teacher

Mimi Ha, winner of the 2013 Milpitas Post Best Teacher of the Year and Best Infant Program awards, has been working with young children for nearly a decade.  She has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Communicative Disorders and Sciences, Degree in Sociology and Liberal Arts. Ms. Mimi worked with various leading non-profit organizations that support children with Autism. Ms. Mimi Ha believes that children are the key to a brighter world and through them we can learn a great deal about ourselves.