Share your top tips for reading with toddlers and win £300 worth of books NOW CLOSED

[EmilyMumsnet]

Every parent loves to snuggle up with the kids and a good book - but a strong case of the fidgets can often bring a reading session to a (literal) screeching halt.

This week we're asking you for your top tips for reading with babies and toddlers. What do they enjoy? What do you enjoy about the experience?

Baby Campbell's brand new series of finger trail books are the perfect interactive reads for curious children, designed for ages six months and up, each page has finger trails cut in, which follow the story across the page and there are lots of flaps to lift.

Share your tips and you'll be in the running to win a year's supply of adult books and a year's supply of children's books, courtesy of Baby Campbell. You can choose 48 books from a selection of titles on the Pan Macmillan website, up to the value of £300.

This competition is now closed. The winner will be contacted shortly

Agree start young. We had board books given as a present shortly after birth, and used to read them pre nap time. It rapidly became part of their routine. One child likes reading whenever, but they all still like a story before bed.

Try to pretend you don't mind reading the same story over and over again when they are toddlers.

Noise and sound books, these are still a hit with my non toddlers.

Animate the story, do actions (my 3 month old thought it was hilarious when DS and I rolled to the left and then to the right in "Ollie,") let them turn the pages when they are old enough not to go steaming on ahead.

Anything interactive, like getting toys involved - my dd used to love finding the right animal from her toy zoo for the right poem when we read Rumble in the Jungle, for example. Or pretending to walk through the relevant environments in a Bear Hunt.
I think exaggerating the rhythm of anything in verse also helps.

Take time choosing quality texts, have lots of choice, allow your child to choose their favourite. Join the library. Talk about the books you have read. Have fun with characters, voices and actions. Choose the right time. Enjoy.

Encourage them to imagine and guess what is on next page. My son loves it

Reading is incredibly engaging when brought to life with models and toys. I would often recount stories in my own words, using a play-mat, models and accessories to physically re-enact the tale.

Of course, nothing beats snuggling side-by-side on the sofa or just before sleep-time with an imaginative, colourful book - as we read, page-by-page, our 2-year-old can try to spot and point out the objects, animals or events (i.e. the crocodile's snapping teeth, or the sneaky gopher peering from behind the bush, etc.)

Every child is different. I have 3 boys and found that reading to them before sleep is the best - it relaxes them and rounds off the day. I find that the reading is as important as the cuddle so being comfortable is very important. I read a couple of books to my 3 year old, a chapter to my 7 year old and a few pages to my 10 year old. If I'm too tired or they are I don't read to the 7 & 10 year olds and yes! Bedtime routine takes a while!
For the 3 year old I edit text if it's too complicated or use a more simple word if the written word is too difficult. I abridge and condense text to keep it interesting.

Room on The Broom is a fab book, but read word for word it can be too long for a 2 year old. The story's great though so I surmise!

I read with my 2 month old several times a day. At first I held him so he could 'see' the pictures, but soon figured out that he would much rather watch my face than the pages! I expect this will change as he gets older, but it's made me realise that reading aloud is as much about intimacy as it is about the story, at any age. My son gave his first smile while listening to a rhyming book!

Choose the books carefully- choose for the child, not for you. Both my girls loved the 'That's not my...' series as toddlers, I found it mind-numbing but they loved the touch panels and the repetitiveness. As soon as they can choose books themselves, let them and grit your teeth when you have to read the same book 4 times in a row. It will be worth it one day!

Also, build books into the bedtime routine and make it a special, snuggly treat. We have had a bedtime story since they were tiny and now we alternate- I do DD1's story while DH reads to DD2, then swap the following night.

Also- use the local library, it's a great place for babies and toddlers to crawl around and explore and rhyme times are really good for them.

Don't feel you have to suffer through books you don't like . There are so many brilliant books out there you can find some you both enjoy.

Just noticed my tip is the complete opposite of the previous poster's!

We have a large selection of books at home which my daughter can choose from and make a weekly trip to the library to look for different books. We have a set story time at bedtime but read throughout the day also. My daughter enjoys turning the pages herself and opportunities to retell parts of the stories that she knows. We spend time talking about the pictures and sing songs we know relating to them eg a picture of a sheep may prompt Ba Ba Black Sheep so draws on her knowledge and experiences in other areas. We enjoy silly voices and repetition in books.

Start young.
Either read indestructible books, or relax and accept that they will get bashed around a bit and the flaps may well get ripped off rather than just lifted while you're reading.
Let them chose the books.
Keep it varied - fresh books from the library are great to keep everyone interested.
Funny voices always go down well.

We have always had children's books out amongst the toys in our living room. That's meant my daughter has always played with books and flicked through the pages, rather than it being something special we have to do that isn't playing. She's now nearly two and will very often bring me books to read her because they are accessible to her. Similarly we have some books in the kitchen reachable from her high chair and some in the change bag for when we are out

Try to never say no to reading. If DS appears with a book and asks me to read it I nearly always say yes. Dinners might occasionally be overdone or the house left in a tip for longer than I would like but so what?

Give it your all, I will always remember Rik Mayall reading George's Marvelous medicine on Jackanory, it's one of the things that ignited my love of reading so silly voices, over exaggerated facial expressions the lot.

Patience, when DS was a toddler he loved to turn the pages often several at a time or before I'd got to the end of a page, or read the same book eleventy billion times. Try your best to still make it fun and not lose your cool.

Visit your local library, let them pick their own books, take advantage of brilliant things like Bookbug and their books on tape for car journeys.

Introduce books you read as a child, remember how magical they were and how much you loved them. Pass that on.

Sit them on your knee and have a cuddle at the same time, really good for bonding and do all the voices and make it funny - I do!!!

I have always found that building reading into the day's routine makes a difference and I always let the kids choose which books they want to read. It's a very special time of day when we snuggle up and read together.

I also think that it helps that they always see me reading.

Start young , I read to mine from being babies and they all have a love of books .Keep it interesting, silly voices if need be and let them choose the book it's always been a special time for us to snuggle up together which I now enjoy doing with my granddaughter ( ahh the memories it brings back....lovely)

DD loves books with something to do, so a touchy-feely book, or one with flaps. She also enjoys 'reading' a book to herself after we have read it together. She has books in her room - I was woken up by 'No no no, that's the elephant again!' the other morning!

Wow this is a great topic for me as my dd (2) loves loves loves reading!

Start them young. I think I started reading to dd as soon as I could, even reading my kindle to her while bf her as a newborn/few months old.

Let the child pick the book. Dd loves nothing more than running to her bookshelf and bringing me her selection.

Let them turn the pages and point things out as you go through the book. Dd loves being asked "where's the..." The 'That's not my' series was and is loved by dd, asking her to find the mice, flower, bee etc.

Simple picture books, ABC's and counting books are also good, asking them to name the picture, count how many things on the page.

One last one is the books where they press the buttons to make a noise (especially peppa pig or Ben ad holly ones!) dd loves playing with them.

Basically the best thing to do is make reading fun and interactive. There is nothing I love more than when dd takes herself to 'read' in the corner (and I get 10 minutes peace!)

Act out the stories, and put on silly accents. And role play them with toys. My son loved acting out The Tiger who came to tea

Make reading part of routine from a young age, part of family time to chat , reflect on day. I work full time, but try to make it home for bedtime story every evening, so it is looked forward to (at least now my kids are quite young - 2 and 4). Funny voices, expression, discussion around story, drawing out illustrations or what is interesting in what you are reading all help. If you love it, they often will. If they're not enjoying it ( may be case for drier learn to read books) take a break and read something they do enjoy, then reward progress when you're back on these books. I find getting the to use their fingers and point to words helps to keep focus!

Starting them young is definitely the best bet! Also starting them young with visiting the library. My DD is now coming up for 4 and while she used to howl when people said hello to her as a tiny baby, and then as an older toddler, fuss while I chose my own books, she now loves to visit the library with me and will sit and 'read' quietly there for ages which gives me a chance to start on my own book. It was an extremely pleasant surprise when that started as she doesn't sit still anywhere else...

I love reading, as does DH, and our house is filled with books, and I make sure my DD sees me reading and enjoying my own books. We like to sit together and read when we get back from the library, I'm hoping it is something we can keep doing as she gets bigger.

I had a floor level book box when DD was little so she could access them herself and also if I laid out toys for 'free play', I would lay out some books as well.

Make the stories interesting by using props and making silly voices for characters in the story. Get child involved by asking them what they like on each page or what they can spot.

My top tips are:

• Let the child lead the reading time together with gentle guidance and encouragement. If they want to read the same thing over and over then go for it! Shake it up by asking different questions about the story or asking if they can spot a small detail in the picture.

• Be enthusiastic yourself. It's tempting to toss them into bed and go crack open the Merlot that's calling your name. If you're relaxed and engaged they will be too.

• Don't get too wound up about days where they show no interest. Keep offering and even just play with the books together. They'll enjoy your attention and come back to it soon enough.

Silly voices, flaps, sparkly bits. Oh and not sticking rigidly to the script if it looks like they're getting bored