Friday, February 19, 2010

What Toddlers Like In Books



What Toddlers Like In Books ( 2 - 3 Years of Age)
  • Small books to fit small hands
  • Books with simple rhymes
  • Books with familiar items - shoes, toys, pets
  • Books with familiar routines - bedtime, bath time, meals
  • Lift the flap books
  • Books with very few words or with repeating words - books little ones can learn by heart
  • Goodnight books for bedtime


For Print Motivation:


  • Lift-the-Flap Books are very engaging!
  • Silly Books appeal to a young reader's developing sense of humor and help them create positive associations with books.
  • Sharing books about a toddler's favorite things is a great way to keep them motivated about books.


For Phonological Awareness:


  • Song Books that contain simple, familiar songs are good choices and toddlers will appreciate songs with multiple verses.
  • Noise Books are a great way for toddlers to practice imitating animal noises and making language sounds.
  • Rhyming Books like Mother Goose and sharing poetry with children are some of the best ways to build phonological awareness. One rhyme per page works well for toddlers.


For Vocabulary:


  • Picture Books build vocabulary because they have more "rare" words than our casual conversation. For instance, the nappers in the "Napping House" are not just sleeping; they are dozing, cozy, snoring, and dreaming.
  • Non-Fiction Books are amazing vocabulary builders!
  • ABC Books are often full of objects to name and tings to discuss. Younger children will need simpler pictures to be successful.

For Narrative Skills:

  • Repetitive Books help children practice predicting what comes next in a story.
  • Different versions of familiar folktales helps make children aware of the basic structure of a story.
  • Wordless and Nearly Wordless Books let children tell stories in their own words.


For Print Awareness:

  • Labeled Picture Books help children make the connection between the words they know and the print on the page.
  • Heavy Cardstock Books help toddlers transition form board books.
  • Large Print and Simple Text Books that are surrounded by white space help children see the words being read.


For Letter Knowledge:


  • ABC Books that are clean and simple so toddler can focus on the letter shape helps build letter knowledge skills.
Search-and-find Books give children a chance to practice differentiating between shapes and objects. Make sure the books are not too tough.

1 comment:

  1. Very informative for a parent and grandparent. Especilly appreciated the help with selecting for print awareness.

    ReplyDelete