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

179 replies

EmilyMumsnet · 29/06/2015 16:07

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

Share your top tips for reading with toddlers and win £300 worth of books NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
mrsmortis · 22/07/2015 14:44

Accept the fact that they love the comfort of familiar things. They will go through phases of wanting the same book every day for weeks on end. You just need to live with it, hopefully it'll be something good like Hairy Maclary or a Julia Donaldson, it's a fact of life that every parent who reads to their children can recite large swathes of their favourite books...

jennie1984j · 22/07/2015 18:34

Make it fun and bring the characters to life

andywedge · 22/07/2015 20:26

Let them read along with you; they'll pick up word and letter shapes and will learn all the time - toddlers are sponges that just absorb

zatuns · 22/07/2015 22:52

When mu kids were very little we read them the same book to bed night after night.So much so they could recite it and so could we !! They enjoyed knowing what was coming up and this encouraged them to explore more books.

Sc107 · 24/07/2015 15:06

Basically just patience and getting on with it. Our daughter has loads of books and we get tired of reading and re-reading the same ones. But I know she is picking things up. She sees me reading the paper and I also read it to her. So just trying to get in the importance and fun of reading early.

ZetaPu · 24/07/2015 15:41

I ve taken my children to the library from a very young age and make sure there are books accessible to them at home.
I've bought them books with puppets through the middle, glittery and textured books and pop up books. The more interactive they are, the more they seem to enjoy them at a young age.
They always have a book before bed and love it when their dad reads to them.

stance · 24/07/2015 17:47

I try to make the book a many-dimensional thing with the voices and the images etc, but also I try to help them remember key parts of the text, so that when we reach that point (after several times of telling the story!) they can tell the story to me instead - usually just a phrase or two, which they're connecting with the text and the images. Even small children can read short words if they learn them visually (the key to all my reading work with kids).

Dontbugmemalone · 24/07/2015 18:34

Reading the same book over and over until they can recite it.
Going to library regularly.
Finding books that are brightly coloured and have flaps that can lift.
DS2 was recently given a Thomas book about spotting things on the page and loves it.
Reading every bed time.
Funny voices.
I would say it's good to read in front of children but I haven't had the chance yet!

Dessallara · 24/07/2015 21:21

Reading books with colourful pictures :)

PinPon · 24/07/2015 21:23

Make it a fun part of the routine, and always make sure that your children have access to books.

Nottheshrinkingcapgrandpa · 24/07/2015 21:26

We have books everywhere in the house and the children watch me pick up a book whenever I have a spare couple of minutes(!). We have reading as part of the bedtime routine.

AnneEyhtMeyer · 24/07/2015 22:05

Read to them regularly from the start, have books available for them to touch and look at, and let them see you reading books for pleasure.

veroinuk · 24/07/2015 23:56

My kids love books. We enjoy going to the library every week but definitely the best way of engaging them is by doing the voices of the characters and also let them tell the parts of the story they know. Reading a book more than once is important too.

TrollTheRespawnJeremy · 25/07/2015 00:05

Definitely start young but also don't underestimate what you think your child is capable of understanding/enjoying.

Rather than doing short books we enjoy doing a chapter a night. It gives us something to talk about as well and we sometimes do associated crafty things that happen to tie in with our current story

balloon66 · 25/07/2015 16:22

use lots of funny voices and choose books with lots of colourful pictures

sweetsomethings · 25/07/2015 16:45

lots of variety and silly voices

lucyrobinson · 26/07/2015 08:57

I read book with my children from a young age. Have lots of books around. A variety is good, picture, flap, feely books. Visit the library and let them choose books. Get books that interest them such as Peppa pig, postman pat etc.

freedomofspeech · 26/07/2015 08:58

Animate it so they're also watching you some of the time and not looking at a book.
Do a bit at a time so they don't get bored - be patient!

caker · 26/07/2015 09:25

DD loves flap books - when she was small she used to rip them by accident but I just used to stick them back in. We've separated DD's books so she has the exciting and noisy ones downstairs for reading and playing with during the day, and upstairs she has the calmer bed time ones.
DD has enjoyed having both the board book and paperback version of her favourites.

cathyov · 26/07/2015 10:16

Keep it fun and have plenty of books around (book swap with friends and family). Remember that good old resource - a library, I always used to make it a treat at the end of 'boring shopping' to visit the library. Always do a night time story - a lovely chance to have a cuddle with your toddler and remember to include their favourite cuddly bedtime too - 'rabbit' always had his favourite book and was often given the chance which story it would be!

Jayney34 · 26/07/2015 13:32

Keep the stories exciting so your child wants to hear more, nobody wants to sit through a story in monotone.

Stick to short stories to prevent lack of concentration and distraction.

Start young, the younger the better.

Make your little one a member of your local library so they can choose some books to read with you, it will be much more fun having a constant variety of bedtime stories.

Make time each day to read with your little one. :)

sootyo · 26/07/2015 13:44

Having favourite books that are read frequently, so that toddlers can recall the story and before long will be able to tell the story themselves.

linheiner · 26/07/2015 16:10

Let your toddler pick the book - even if you've read it 1,000 times before! Make it fun with silly voices and encourage them to join in too!

easter1965 · 26/07/2015 19:12

Acting out the story whilst reading, using hand actions and voice has to change according to the situation or the poor child will be bored stiff, and most of all 'Enjoy' the young ones know when its a chore or your enjoying it. x

el2606 · 26/07/2015 19:52

My top tips are to use animated voices to keep their attention and also point to the relevant pictures as you read to help them to follow and understand the story!