Pro tips to engage your toddler in story time

When reading with your toddler—or trying to 🙃—don’t worry if you get off track, experts say. A short conversation about a picture or character can boost your child’s cognitive and language skills even more than listening to a story.

In this post:

• Article: The best kinds of books for busy toddlers
• Activity: Read by flashlight for a cozy bedtime
• Activity: Act out book scenes with your toddler
• Ask & Learn: I’m worried that my son won’t listen to a whole book.

The best kinds of books for busy toddlers

Toddlers love to make things happen. Seeing the different ways they can affect their environment is exciting for them, but also makes sitting still to read a book more of a challenge. 

Inviting your child to do something with their hands or body during story time can help keep them interested and engaged. It’s also a chance for them to practice fine motor skills and show you what they can do ❤️ 

How to choose a book for a busy toddler

Below are four book features that invite toddlers to touch, lift, and wiggle—all things they naturally love to do. Many of the stories in our Book Bundles include these interactive elements, making them lasting favorites with early readers. 

Flaps to lift and find a surprise

Lift-the-flap books delight toddlers and give them an opportunity to make predictions. They’re also great for teaching location words and phrases, like “in the cupboard” and “under the mat.” In “Where Is Crew’s Shoe?” from The Babbler Book Bundle, your child can uncover a cat behind the plant, a sock under a couch cushion, and a girl reading in the closet.

Objects to tuck into pockets or put through slots

Your child goes from passive listener to active storyteller when they tuck a character into bed or feed an animal. To challenge your toddler, see if they can follow two-step directions in “Plant a Seed, Watch It Grow” from The Explorer Book Bundle: Invite them to “pick” a carrot from a pocket in the book and put it into the bunny’s mouth. 

Actions, actions, actions

Look for books that describe different ways to move your body, then act them out with your toddler. For example, in “Things I Can Do” from The Thinker Book Bundle, your child can imitate children kissing, dancing, and brushing their teeth

Textures and scents

Touching different textures gets your toddler involved in the story. It can also help them connect what they see and feel to descriptive words, like soft, shiny, weathered, and rough. Scent is another sensory element that may draw in your toddler. For example, your toddler can scratch and smell lavender in “Leo and Melody at the Farm” from The Companion Book Bundle.

Note: To add Book Bundles to your subscription, visit the Subscription section of your Lovevery account.

Read by flashlight for a cozy bedtime

Use the Really Real Flashlight to share a quiet moment as you read a bedtime story. Dimming the lights and sitting close can help your toddler feel calm and prepare them to go to sleep.

Act out book scenes with your toddler

Once your little one is familiar with the “Graham Turns Two” Board Book, try engaging them in pretend play inspired by the story. Use modeling dough and a few pegs from the Wooden Posting Stand to create a make-believe cake and candles. Sing “Happy Birthday” together and see if your child will act out blowing out the candles.

What parents are asking our experts…

“I’m worried that my son won’t listen to a whole book.”

Answer:

Many toddlers at this stage are not yet sitting and listening to entire stories. Luckily, he can still gain a lot through book experiences. Here are a few ideas: 

• Don’t feel you must read the words exactly as they appear. You can use the pictures or the outline of the story to engage your toddler. Try pointing to and describing details in the pictures that are familiar to your child from his own life. A conversation about a book can boost your child’s cognitive and language skills even more than simply listening to you read. 
• Try reading books that have simple, large images and a recurring character, language (rhyme, phrase), or theme. These elements are especially engaging to toddlers. 
• Go back to an old favorite. You may notice that your son will sit longer with a book he’s explored many times. Knowing how a story goes can make toddlers feel secure and accomplished.  
• If your son loses interest in a story before you get to the end and pushes it away, let him know you understand what he’s communicating. You might say “Oh, I can see that you are finished with this book now. We can look at it again another time.” 

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