Do your toddlers also want to read the same books over and over again?

[solarsystem87]

My child wasn't really interested in books in the first year of life. He found them exciting to sink his teeth into. But the pictures and stories didn't interest him.

He will be 2 in the spring and he has been interested in books for about half a year. But I have to read him the same books over and over again. I know that repetition is important for children. And we also have a whole shelf of different children's books. But he always chooses the same ones for weeks. Is it the same with your toddlers?

My DD is 3.5 and binge reads her library books, but has read the same 4/5 books for bedtime every single night for a year. And I don't mean one of the 4/5 books, I mean ALL 4/5 every night!

Yep a totally normal and annoying stage.
I got to the point where I had memorised all of julia donaldsons books, and I would recite them in full when the girls wouldn't settle on long car rides, like a personalised tired audiobook.

We switched to only getting books from the library after that or charity shops and donating them back when it got repetitive.

Mine definitely had favourites so I used to cycle books around quite a lot so they could have a good choice, and go to the library a lot.

I can recite both The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child from memory.

Of course.

Where’s Spot?

Who cares.

Mine has not long turned 2 and has been obsessed with books since he could hold things 😅 On an average day we read 3 or 4 books at bedtime and probably another 3 or 4 throughout the day whenever he asks 🤷🏻‍♀️

He definitely goes through phases of having favourites. Stickman, Room on the Broom and The Smeds and the Smoos. Have been read at least once a day each without fail for over a year.

@kernowpicklepie 🤣🤣 I’ve hidden the donkey too 🙈 I can’t stand that one!

@AliceTheeCamel
Ah yes. The Julia Donaldson's. We've had the Snail and the Whale and Stick Man phases. Had Monkey Puzzle for WEEKS (that one is shorter than some so a relief!), now we've been stuck on Zog and the Flying Doctors for maybe 2 months.

I can recite the whole of both Zog books, the Highway Rat, Snail and the Whale, Stick Man and Room on the Broom without looking. In fact, I'm compelled to every night as after we read a book I'm expected to whisper from memory one of the above whilst he falls asleep 😳.

Thanks for your responses, glad it's not just us but almost all families!

There was a change of subject here recently. We still read the same books all the time, but at least different. While recently books with vehicles from the farm or the construction site were the most popular, my child is currently interested in books about parents, children and babies or siblings.

But it's nice to see how my child's bookcase is getting more and more full!

Glad to hear that OP. DD has moved onto something new this afternoon - she gets a book off the bookshelf, brings it to me to read, when we're done she gets down off my lap and takes it to DH to read (who's sat on the other end of the sofa), then back to me, then DH until we've both read it 3 times. Repeat with the next book 😫

My almost 18 month old is obsessed with books so she will just continuously bring them to you to read throughout the day! She brings loads of different ones but there are certain key ones that she just wants over again and again. I can really see the impact it's having on her language though and she's picking up loads of words and some short phrases and sentences by hearing them again and again then repeating them herself so as much as I might find it boring sometimes, I'll happily keep reading them.

I had to read the magic porridge pot. Not only the one we had at home, but every version we found in the library too.