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Saturday, January 17, 2009

Reading Part 2

Be expressive - Remember - early reading should be fun - and nobody likes to listen to a boring monotone. A toddler who is still developing language skills will find an expressive reading style not only more enjoyable, but also easier to understand.

Be repetitive - Toddlers love to hear the same story over and over. It can drive you to distraction (believe me I know!!) but it's incredibly satisfying to their young ears - and will encourage those early reading skills too.

Keep it short - Your toddler hasn't developed a long attention span yet, so keep those early reading sessions brief. Go from page to page quickly to keep them from getting fidgety, and be ready to end story time after just a few minutes if they're really not in the mood.

Be cuddly - Children who associate reading with the comfort of curling up on a much-loved parent's lap almost always enjoy reading books later on.

Set a good example - If your toddler sees you reading, even occasionally, they're likely to think it's a good, grown-up pastime and will probably begin to initiate their early reading sessions themselves.

Finally, cut down on the amount of TV that's watched by your toddler and the rest of the family. Research has shown that families who watch less read more. At my household, this is so true.

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