It’s hard to believe Hanna is now two but when you meet her and spend time with her she seems so much older than she actually is. She’s such a smart little girl who loves to learn and loves to get into everything – which is a blessing but also a curse, oh to be a toddler!

When kids want to explore and get into everything they see it’s normal, it comes with age and usually around 2 years old it gets to the worst of it – but it also means its a great time for them to learn. Hanna isn’t much for sitting in one place for too long. She will sit for a movie but doesn’t sit for the whole thing, only a few minutes and then she will get up and do other things and keep coming back to the movie. Normal behavior for two-year-olds.

At a recent doctors visit, the same doctor I’ve taken my kids to for a while they mentioned new guidelines for reading to our babies. Mia is just six-months-old and now is the time to start reading to her. So, for twenty minutes each day, she and I sit down, snuggle and I read to her. This is something we’ve done with Hanna on and off for two years now, but recently she’s started to really want to sit down with us and read. Well – she likes to speed through the pages, laugh and do it over and over again. It can sometimes be a struggle to actually get her to read but here are a few tricks that have helped us:

How to Get Toddlers Excited About Reading

• Let them choose the book: We have a great collection to choose from but different books are geared towards different ages, and sometimes it depends on the kiddos mood what may keep their attention. Let them pick what book they want to sit with you and read!
• Read in a quiet area: Having multiple kids can be distracting when you want to sit down and read with any of them. WIth a toddler its no exception, head to a quiet room in the house or even hop in bed and snuggle with a read.
• Read with enthusiasm: Changing voices for each character and making it a fun little game could be beneficial and entertaining and engaging for a toddler. Try using different voices and changing things up a little bit with sound effects and funny noises.
• Keep it short: Don’t pick (or let them pick) a book that will take a half an hour to read. Even reading a few books multiple times throughout the day may keep them more interested.
• Have a sibling read to them too: If you have an older child see if they’d like to join in on reading time! Hanna loves when her older siblings read to her and I find she will sit with them much longer and pay more attention to the book!

Reading is so beneficial and rewarding even as a toddler. Starting them younger sets them up for great success and gets them excited to read and learn in the years to come.

Putting away the electronics and turning off the tv to enjoy some quality book time never hurt anyone! Enjoy the benefits and start reading to them early!