Make it fun and enjoyable.
Read with expression and be creative with your voice and ask your child lots of questions about the story or pictures as you read to help keep them involved in the book.
Incorporate reading into a daily routine.
Does your child like to be read to in the morning, after lunch, after dinner, or at bedtime? Make reading something that your child anticipates, if your child wants to skip his or her reading sometimes, that’s okay too.
Read books about what interests your child.
Is your child excited about Dora the Explorer? What about Curious George? Try to find books about things that interest your child. When your child gets older, take her to the library and she can choose her own books.
Let your child pick the book.
Young children are attracted to the covers of books. Show the covers of books to your child to see if they are interested in it.
Hold your child while you read.
As much as possible, hold your child while you read. Does he/she have a favorite blanket or toy? If so, incorporate using the favorite blanket or toy in your reading. For example, try using the blanket to create a fort, or maybe you can read to the favorite toy.
Don’t force it if your child is not in the mood.
It is okay to stop in the middle of a book and come back to it later.
Don’t be afraid of wordless picture books.
When reading a wordless picture book, ask the child questions such as:
•What do you think is happening here? (comprehension)
•What makes you think that? (inferring)
•What do you think will happen next? (predicting)
•Why? (vocabulary and oral language)
Start small
The younger the child, the shorter the attention span. One of the benefits of reading aloud is that over time, their attention spans will get longer. Choose shorter books or books that are not too text-heavy. Then, as you notice their attention span getting longer, you can start reading longer books.
