When most people picture a parent reading to a toddler, they probably are picturing the pair sitting contentedly reading a picture book with one sentence per page. I know because I used to picture the same thing. As a first time mom I dutifully tried to stay motivated to read to my infant daughter daily, but I was bored out of my mind and it didn't last long. Around Pumpkin's one year birthday, I decided I was going to change things-I was going to do a "toddler homeschool." This naturally led to researching homeschooling in general-I actually was looking for a curriculum, but there are not a whole lot for the age group. However, I kept stumbling upon the term "Charlotte Mason." Finally I caved and looked up what the heck a Charlotte Mason curriculum was.
Charlotte Mason was a teacher around the late 1800's and early 1900's and she definitely was onto quite a few good ideas! Of all the homeschooling methodologies, I find myself most in agreement with this format-of course, she lived over one hundred years ago, and consequently I find some of her philosophies a bit outdated. However, a few philosophies really stood out to me. Charlotte Mason believed that children should be read quality literature from an early age-literature should be every bit as interesting to a ten year old as a five year old. She did not think that young children needed "dumbed down" books. She also believed that children should be exposed to a variety of subject matter because no one knows what will inspire A child's imagination. Of course, she meant for her philosophies to be applied to children a bit older than a one year old, but I ask the question why not apply some of her principles to toddlers?
Scour the Internet all you want. You will find all kinds of resources on why it is important to read to your kids, and all kinds of benefits, but I bet you will not find a single source that says ONLY brightly colored picture books with one sentence a page should be read to toddlers, and it is imperative to read the books word for word as they are written. So why not spice things up and make a more interesting reading experience for both you and your toddler?
Why Read?
Before we endeavor to change our reading habits, let's take a look at why reading is important. Here are 5 reasons to read to your child (besides the fact that children that are read to tend to have bigger vocabularies).
1. Reading is literally a part of every school subject-including math. Establishing many positive memories for your child to associate with reading could be just the ticket to inspiring a life long love of reading-and when kids love something, they tend to get good at it!
2. Depending on book selection, books can teach-or help teach-children important concepts-like counting, animal sounds, and colors. Even a book without such concepts can inspire your child's imagination and consequently inspire creative play!
3. Books model well spoken language. That doesn't just mean exposing a child to new words, but it models grammar and proper use of words in sentences. If the child is looking at the book with you, then it is also exposing the child to letters!
4. It prepares the child for preschools-regardless if you are planning to homeschool or not. When I was researching curriculums, I saw many that indicated that a child not used to being read to may take over the intended one year, whereas a child who is used to being read to may be able to complete the curriculum in its intended period of time. Just because I read this about homeschool cirriculums does not make it any less true for a child who will be attending traditional schools-they too will struggle to get used to having to use their attention span for longer periods and extract information from books.
5. If nothing else, reading together is great for bonding. There is just something about curling up on the couch together on a cold winter day and having adventures together that is so precious, and dare I say it--fun!
How To Make Reading More Fun (for both of you)
Here are some tips and tricks for making reading a more interesting, fun experience for everyone involved!
1. Read a variety of books. This doesn't mean reading a constant flow of new stories, what I'm referring to is reading different kinds of books. Read long books, short books, books with pictures, books with very few pictures, poetry, nursery rhymes, educational books, books with a good message, books that are just plain fun, new books, and classics (to name a few). In our household, our daily storytime is a long book (sometimes with a lot of pictures, sometimes with very few pictures) and our bedtime story is a book that has a good message to it. Meanwhile, throughout the day Pumpkin is free to bring me any of her books that she would like read to her-and I probably read her a good 10 stories on a normal day. As I said earlier though, I'm not necessarily reading her a constant flow of new stories-our long story is read everyday for a week. In the beginning of the week she will climb off my lap after a few pages (and I will read while she plays), but by the end of the week she is happily enjoying the familiarity of the story (by Wed she will go get our long book to remind me if I forget)! Our bedtime story is read nightly for a month! Repetition is soothing at this age.
2. Don't be afraid to stray from what is written on the page. As we read together, different pictures will spark an interest in Pumpkin-or sometimes the same page. It's ok to stop reading and talk about the random squirrel in the background that has just been noticed. Similarly, if your toddler has been showing an interest in animal sounds, for example, why not stop at the end of the page and point t the animals you can find so you can talk about the dogs barking and bears roaring?
3. Try reading in an interactive way-it's ok to be animated! I often point to body parts on Pumpkin when they are mentioned in a book. I change my voice. I ask pumpkin to find colors on the page. Pumpkin recently learned that a sheep says "ba ba," so everytime we see a sheep I ask her what sound a sheep makes and then make a HUGE deal out of it when she says "ba ba." She Beemer with pride at her accomplishments. If a booke mentions stinky toes I smell her toes and pretend they are so stinky-it delights her everytime.
You can read anything you want to your toddler, and you can read it anyway you want! So before giving up on reading to your toddler as something mind numbingly boring, try switching things up-not only is it more interesting for you, it is more interesting (and I would argue better for) for your toddler too! You will know you have found what works for your family when you both are enjoying your story times together.
