Tips for Reading Aloud to Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler

Reading aloud is one of the most important ways to help your child’s communication and language skills grow and develop. Starting to read aloud to your child when he is young sets a foundation of reading for years to come.

There are many benefits of reading to your baby. It helps support talking and listening skills that are key parts of communication and language development. Over time, your child starts to link reading with spending time together and having your full attention.

How you read to your child will change over time as your baby grows into a toddler and preschooler. Below are tips for reading to your child at these ages.

Reading aloud to your baby

• Read together every day. Read for a few minutes at a time, several times a day, when your baby is alert.
• Hold your baby on your lap and snuggle while you read.
• Point to pictures and say the names of what you see on the page. Talk about what’s happening.
• Reread favorite books. Repeating words and sounds is important for your child’s communication and language development.
• Choose soft books or board books with big pictures. Let your baby touch the book. Books with different textures are fun for infants to explore.
• Visit your local library for book suggestions.

Reading aloud to your toddler

• Read together every day.
• Notice what your toddler likes about books. This could be a new interest like trucks or animals, or an action like pointing out everything in the picture.
• Share your lap or snuggle with your child as you read. Some toddlers may want to stand instead.
• Offer choices of what books to read. Your toddler is growing more independent and will like choosing the book, even if she chooses the same book every day. Toddlers love repetition.
• Choose reading times when your child is relaxed, such as before or after a nap, or before bedtime.
• Bring a book along to restaurants or appointments, so you can read a few pages as you wait.
• Go beyond simply reading the words. Point out what’s happening, ask how many animals or toys are in the pictures and ask what will happen. This helps increase a child’s vocabulary.
• Continue to visit the library for book recommendations. The library may also have a story time you can visit with your child.

Reading aloud to your preschooler

• Read together every day.
• Choose books that have information about what your child likes – from dinosaurs and farm animals to sports and nature. Both fiction and nonfiction books can be interesting.
• Reread favorite books. Point out favorite characters or pictures.
• Ask what your child thinks will happen next, and answer any questions he has. This helps improve understanding about what’s going on in the book.
• Make sure the television is off when you’re reading, to avoid distraction and improve focus on the story.
• Continue to visit the library for book recommendations and story hour.

Click here to learn more about communication and language developmental milestones.

This content was adapted from an article by Eileen Nelson with Minnesota Department of Education, which originally appeared on the former Minnesota Parents Know website.