Make Reading Fun!

Parenting Resources and Community Outreach

Start reading to your child before birth and establish reading as a routine part of every day.

Here’s how to make reading fun for your children:

• Select age-appropriate books. Infants like rhyming patterns and repetition. Toddlers like lots of bright, colorful pictures. Older children need books that will help stimulate their imaginations. Don’t discourage your child from asking for the same story over and over, night after night.
• Read with feeling. Act out parts as you read them and don’t be afraid to use different voices for different characters. Keep your child interested in the story and entertained.
• Share the book. Cuddle with your child so that they can see the book, hold it, and help turn the pages. Children like to see pictures, colors, and shapes. Reading together is also a great opportunity to snuggle.
• Answer questions. Asking questions means your child is listening. Stop frequently during the story to answer questions. Allow time at the end of the story to talk it over. Remember to be patient. 
• Personalize the story. Children like to hear their names, so substitute a character’s name for your child’s. If your child seems restless, leave out overly descriptive passages.
• Always complete the story. Children need a sense of completion. If it’s getting too late or your child seems restless, find an appropriate stopping point. Create an ending for your time together such as a kiss good night.

Reading Tips

• Read with your child every day.
• Choose books that are right for your child’s age.
• Infants like patterns and repetition.
• Toddlers enjoy bright colors.
• School-aged children need books that help create mental pictures.
• Share the book and cuddle while reading.
• Talk about the pictures. You do not have to read the book to tell a story.
• Let your child help by turning the pages or holding the book
• Make the story come alive!
• Ask your child questions about the story.
• Let your child read a page, then you read a page.