The Joy of Reading with Your
Toddler
Toddler
By Teresa Kolvek
toddlerdish.com
toddlerdish.com
I have always loved books, and as a result I’ve been
reading to my little girl ever since she was born. Every day,
almost from day one, we would snuggle up together in a
rocking chair, and I’d read her anything I could find.
For the first couple of months, I couldn’t tell if she was
listening to me or not. She’d lie peacefully on my lap,
gazing around the room, while I’d read stories and try to
throw in funny voices here and there. Gradually I could
begin to see that she was focusing on my voice.
I think it was at around four or five months that she began
grabbing for the books. She would reach out her pudgy
little hand and grasp a page, sometimes yanking it out of
the book entirely, and pull it toward her so that she could
chew on it. This was when we switched to board books!
Her first attempts to turn the pages met with mixed success,
but once she discovered that she could control them, she
was no longer content to passively let Mommy do all the
work.
Once she was able to walk, she began picking books off
the shelf and bringing them to me. This was really cute, but
what is even better is what she does now, which is to bring
me a book, drop it in my lap, and then turn and plop herself
down in my lap as well.
Her favorite books are the ones with bright photographs of
animals, babies, and trucks. She learned very early on to
identify kitty cats (in fact, her first words were “kee cat”).
Ever since then her vocabulary has just exploded. At
eighteen months, she knows more words than I can count.
I firmly believe this is due in large part to her love for
books. When she sees one of her favorites, her eyes light
up. Reading with her is great fun. She’ll point to a picture
and I’ll say ”That’s a monkey!” Then she’ll repeat it after
me, “monkey, monkey!” She doesn’t sit still for very long,
so we never make it through an entire book. Sometimes we’
ll get to page two and she’s already jumping up and
running to the bookshelf, looking for another one.
It’s been a pleasure to watch her behavior evolve and
change as she grows older. The time that we spend
reading together is a wonderful bonding time, and it’s
something that I look forward to every day. I highly
recommend it!
reading to my little girl ever since she was born. Every day,
almost from day one, we would snuggle up together in a
rocking chair, and I’d read her anything I could find.
For the first couple of months, I couldn’t tell if she was
listening to me or not. She’d lie peacefully on my lap,
gazing around the room, while I’d read stories and try to
throw in funny voices here and there. Gradually I could
begin to see that she was focusing on my voice.
I think it was at around four or five months that she began
grabbing for the books. She would reach out her pudgy
little hand and grasp a page, sometimes yanking it out of
the book entirely, and pull it toward her so that she could
chew on it. This was when we switched to board books!
Her first attempts to turn the pages met with mixed success,
but once she discovered that she could control them, she
was no longer content to passively let Mommy do all the
work.
Once she was able to walk, she began picking books off
the shelf and bringing them to me. This was really cute, but
what is even better is what she does now, which is to bring
me a book, drop it in my lap, and then turn and plop herself
down in my lap as well.
Her favorite books are the ones with bright photographs of
animals, babies, and trucks. She learned very early on to
identify kitty cats (in fact, her first words were “kee cat”).
Ever since then her vocabulary has just exploded. At
eighteen months, she knows more words than I can count.
I firmly believe this is due in large part to her love for
books. When she sees one of her favorites, her eyes light
up. Reading with her is great fun. She’ll point to a picture
and I’ll say ”That’s a monkey!” Then she’ll repeat it after
me, “monkey, monkey!” She doesn’t sit still for very long,
so we never make it through an entire book. Sometimes we’
ll get to page two and she’s already jumping up and
running to the bookshelf, looking for another one.
It’s been a pleasure to watch her behavior evolve and
change as she grows older. The time that we spend
reading together is a wonderful bonding time, and it’s
something that I look forward to every day. I highly
recommend it!
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
About the Author
Teresa Kolvek and her husband, Tony, are the proud
parents of a beautiful and spirited toddler named Amelia.
Teresa Kolvek and her husband, Tony, are the proud
parents of a beautiful and spirited toddler named Amelia.
