Reading for almost 2 year olds

[dingdongmer]

Does your almost 2 year old still read the usbourbe "that's not my...." books or are they too babyish for a 2 year old?

Anyone?

@dingdongmer my nearly 2 year old loves these books! He also likes one mole digging a hole. I’ve bought him some busy books for Christmas with tabs that pull out and where’s that turn round but he hasn’t been that interested in them.
We borrowed a book from the library but ended up buying it as he loved it so much, it’s a book about the body called Brilliant Body. It’s a bit advanced for him but he loves lifting the flaps and looking at the pictures.

This is the one!

Isn't it whatever they like/enjoy. My two year old likes most books. Though he gets a bit impatient of the story is too long. The tiger that comes to tea is about the longest he can take. But he's liked that since about 15 months

Also have you tried counting and colour books. My little one loves these. He also likes the Priddy books where we can talk about the pictures etc.

I've got him thev tiger who came for tea and other longer ones like that but some he likes and some he gets bored of

It is about what he likes and enjoys yes but I don't want to be holding him back if they were too babyish

Not sure how you can 'hold him back' by reading him books 🙄. He's only two. Does he have some abc books and counting books or books he can identify shapes and colours etc?

Yes but he's not too interested. He likes story books

Read what he enjoys then, some children don't like being read to at all, I hear.

I think it's more about fostering a love for books at this age. My LO will often sit and listen to a julia Donaldson books for example and will occasionally preempt bits (eg; smacks her head just before the bit where Zog bumps into a tree ) However sometimes she just doesn't want to concentrate or she would prefer to just talk about what's on the page. We will often read a couple of the words and pictures books she has too and will just talk about what's on the page and I'm convinced this is why her receptive language is so good. She also loves the 'that's not my' books and still sometimes likes to read them. She also says 'oft' (soft) in context at times and I'm sure that's coz of these books. Be baby led and just do what your kid is engaged with as they'll always learn most this way. If the book seems a bit babyish then talk about what's on the page. Count something or talk about colours etc. It's all a learning and bonding opportunity x

I think it probably wouldn't hurt to start to shift to slightly longer books or ones with more varied vocabulary - it's good to start building their attention span and ability to follow a plot. I didn't read those 'that's not my...' books to DD much because they drove me mad (selfish mum). There's definitely no harm if he likes them, but (as you already do) I would try to mix it up with some others.

Some suggestions:

• the Supertato books
• Elmer storybooks (e.g. Elmer and the race, Elmer and the lost teddy)
• If I had a dinosaur
• My daddy is a silly monkey
• the Julia Donaldson ones are a bit on the long side but the rhyme scheme makes them easier for kids to remember (and fill in words) so I wouId try some of those e.g. Stick Man.

In addition, we've found what works well with our 21MO is to read at the right times. She's not one for staying still otherwise so she gets a couple of stories mid morning whilst she sits and eats a pack of pom bears, again when she's having milk just before nap time then just after she wakes up from her nap whilst she's waking and then lots at bedtime again with milk whilst winding down for bed. These are good times as if they're getting a bit fidgety you can say 'oh you must be very tired of you can't concentrate we'd better go to bed' .... mine seems to understand the subtle threat Honestly though books are important but I think any learning is good learning at this age. We put as much effort into physical skills as reading because my personal opinion is that these are also important. If they don't have the muscle strength and co-ordination to sit up well in a chair and look at a whiteboard for example or the co-ordination to manipulate a pencil then they'll become just as disengaged with learning as if they hadn't learned to like a good book. Just give them plenty of chance to learn something and talk to them olenty and they'll surely become as academic as they were meant to xx

I would recommend the following classics - we are going on a bear hunt, the elephant and the bad baby, goodnight moon, dear zoo.

And Peepo - my son loved all of these