Reading with children offers numerous  early childhood development benefits, and it is never too early to start! In this post, we explain the benefits of reading with kids in early childhood, how to get started, and book recommendations for shared reading with young children. 

The Benefits of Reading with Children

Reading with your child promotes the development of several early childhood milestones:

•  Brain development

• Attachment

• Regulation

• Communication development

• Sensory exploration

• Fine motor skills

You can start reading to your child from infancy. As they  grow, some children will easily sit, listen, and look at books, while others squirm, tear the pages, or just want to flip through the book quickly.

How to Make   Reading Fun

It may feel like a child is not ready for books if they don’t seem to initially enjoy the activity, however there are ways to help your child learn to enjoy the routine:   

• Reduce distractions by turning off the television and putting screens away.
• Encourage your child to choose between two books. “Do you want Goodnight Moon or Spot?”
• Let your child hold the book, turn pages, or explore flaps and buttons.
• Follow your child’s lead instead of worrying about finishing the whole story.
• Try picture walking by naming the pictures on each page and asking open ended questions or making predictions about what will happen without reading the story.
• Point to pictures using an open finger and encourage your child to point too.
• Pause and wait after asking a question or making a comment. Even smiles, gestures, or sounds are part of communication.
• Repeat favorite books often. Repetition helps children learn language and anticipate routines.
• Repeat any words your child says and add a new word or two.
• Add movement or sounds while reading. Act out animal noises, facial expressions, or actions in the story. Try using different voices for different characters.
• Keep books in different places around the house, in the car, or in a diaper bag so reading can happen naturally throughout the day.
• Choose sturdy board books, touch-and-feel books, or lift-the-flap books for babies and toddlers who learn best through hands-on exploration.
• Change how you sit. If your toddler does not want to sit in your lap, you can try facing them, so they see your facial expressions and how your mouth moves when you speak. Or try lying on the floor and holding the book over both your heads.
• For a child who is always on the go, read to them while rocking in a rocking chair or bouncing on your knee.
• Try having your child’s favorite stuffed animal “read” the story.
• Keep books available for easy access unless your child is ripping pages or damaging the books. Then store them out of reach. Try secondhand books if your child is likely to rip them.
• If you know your child will rip the pages, try letting them rip something else like pictures out of catalogs or construction paper and show them which paper is for ripping. Then give them something to hold like a blanket or stuffed animal while you read.
• Let your child see you reading and model treating books well and talk about how to handle them gently.
• As your child engages more with shared reading you can start to reference the print by pointing to and reading the title, the author and a few words. For example, you can say, “that says 'cat'” as you touch the word cat.

Most importantly, try to make reading feel warm and connected rather than pressured. Young children learn best through responsive interactions with caring adults, and even a few minutes of shared reading together can support language, relationships, attention, and learning over time.

Shared reading does not have to look perfect to be meaningful. A few small changes can make your reading routine more interactive and enjoyable for young children.

Suggested Books to Try Shared Reading

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Moo, Baa, La, La, La

Baby Faces

Spot Goes to the Farm

Where’s Spot

Goodnight Moon

First 100 Words

Llama Llama Red Pajama

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Big Red Barn

There’s a Bear in My Chair

For more milestone-building activities to do with your children, check out our posts on  imitation activities for young children,  outdoor play activities for gross motor development, and   cooking activities for toddlers.