how do you read to your kids?

Reading has always been very important to me & as a kid, I just loved it. So even before I was pg, I started collecting kids books for when I'd have kids. Anyway, DD will usually sit for a story but DS wants nothing to do with it & is up and running away. Now DD is starting to move around more, she's having less interest in story time. She still loves to sit & look at the books by herself, though. Lately the only way I can read to them both is when they go to bed at night, I put my glider in betweeen their cribs and sit there to read a book. I don't feel like they're really getting the full benefit of it, though b/c they can't see the pictures so much, it's more just the sound of my voice.


I need some help! What do you do when they're just not interested in stories??

 

What might be helpful is to put them in their boosters or high chairs and spend some time reading to them every day that way -- captive audience. I suggest this because that's how we did special instruction and speech therapy at that age and it really helped to focus their concentration on the books and the pictures.

 

Reading usually goes like this:

Emily pulls a book out of the toy box, brings it over and throws it at me and sits down. I start to read to them and she will grab it from me and walk away. I don't know what it is, but we've NEVER finished any of the books in the room, not even The Pokey Little Puppy. I'm hoping that they just sort of grow out of it and that they'll settle down eventually.

alexis

 

After the bath and they are dressed they know it is story time because the point up to the shelf where the books are. If we are downstairs they will just go and choose a book and bring it over for me to read to them. I just tried to add it to their routine so they are getting one story a day , so once they are out the bath i put them in their cots and sit between them and read them a story x

 

For a short period, I did the same thing with putting them in their cribs and pulling up the glider for a book or 2 before nap and bed time. With 4 little hands trying to grab the book so they could chew on them, it was difficult to finish any book. Memories. Putting them in highchairs was going to be my back up plan if they did not pay attention while in their cribs.

The cribs were in an "L" shape, I would just turn the book around for them to look at the pictures before I turned the page. I still tried to read to them outside the crib and one day and if they were busy with something else, I just kept reading. One day, they just started staying put.

 

At that age I just read to them in their high chairs after they were fed before their naps. I did board books with lots of pictures and very few words. I also let them play with board books not worrying if they wrecked them or not. They chewed on them and ripped a few. That's pretty standard book play/reading time at that age. They didn't sit still for bedtime stories until after they were two. We did take them for storytime at the library too. It sounds like pretty typical behaviour for that age

 

We've just gotten into a little reading routine. I call it the "Carson Reading Initiative" b/c I felt like you- that I wasn't reading enough to my twins. Before nap & before bed, the babies & I read. I sit with my legs out in front of me: one sits in my lap & the other sits farther down my legs. They will usually be still for about 3 board books & then it's off to bed.
Good luck!

 

We read during breakfast and lunch at the table. It actually works two folds, first they are interested so instead of running off they actually sit and eat and two they get some reading in. I actually manage to eat, read a book, and feed the baby at the same time. Us Multiple Mommas really know how to multitask! :lol: Plus I do what another reader mentioned, I have boardbooks everywhere in the house in baskets. So they contantly bring me a board book and say "weed!" ha ha ha.

 

I agree with pp that books with bright pictures and few words are the best story books at this age. My girls love books that have pictures of objects. They're very interested in the world and want to know what everything is. We sit together and point to all the pictures and talk about the objects and animals in the book.

You can do this with wordy story books too -- find objects on each page, count the ducks, whatever. You don't need to read the words straight through. At this age it's more about the look and feel of the book than the words/text. Talking about the book, but not necessarily reading it, KWIM?

I also continue reading if one or both children walk away. They're still listening even if it looks like they're not paying attention. When I put the book down they usually run back and hand it to me, then walk away again. Their intent is clear: you keep reading, but I'm gonna be over here playing with blocks. They love to hear me read but just have too much energy to sit still sometimes.

That's another thing -- you have to catch them in the right mood. If they're clearly full of beans and are running all over the place, now might not be the best time to read. Wait until they've calmed down a bit and are sitting still playing with toys. Since they're already sitting still for toys, it's not a great leap to sit still for a story.

I wouldn't recommend confining them in high chairs or cribs to read. That seems too much like punishment to me. If you have to be strapped down to do something, that just reinforces that you're being forced to do something you dislike. You're trying to instill a love of reading. Do you need to be strapped down to do things that you enjoy? I let the girls roam while I read aloud. Sometimes they sit with me, other times they don't, but I'm still modelling reading and that's the important thing.

Seeing and hearing you read is the best way to encourage their literacy. You're the most important model they have.

Edited to add: DH and I have storytime immediately before bed every night. We each sit with a kid on our lap and read three stories. Takes about 10 minutes. The last story is always the same -- Snuggletime Busy Baby. The girls love this routine. Last night one of them even said "busy baby" when we pulled that book out!

 

I generally read stories sitting on the sofa with one each side of me. When they were the age yours are it was a bit hit and miss.
I found that short books with touch-and-feel bits or lift-the-flaps really helped keep their attention (even now Naomi and Luke do much better with 4 or 5 short stories compared to 2 long stories).

 

QUOTE(chickabee @ Sep 12 2007, 01:22 PM) [snapback]404613[/snapback]
I wouldn't recommend confining them in high chairs or cribs to read. That seems too much like punishment to me. If you have to be strapped down to do something, that just reinforces that you're being forced to do something you dislike.


Um, like eating??

In any case, my children have never complained about being in their booster chairs to read or paint or play with Doh or all the many FUN things done there, so I definitely don't think they view it as punishment at all. It just helps them keep their attention. And they LOVE LOVE LOVE their books, promise.

 

try "readingallthesentencesinonebreathwithoutstopping" really fast.
or try summarizing the story or creating a new story based on the pictures. of course reading the same ones over and over every day helps with both of these toddler mom skills.

 

Mine will come and sit on the floor right in front of me - on their bottoms. If they get bored, which they never do, they crawl/walk away. They'll sit for over 30 minutes and keep throwing books at me until they've had all of their favorites read to them. I'm crazy by that point! :crazy: I think it's time to go buy some new books. Most of our pop up books have pieces and parts missing because they have ripped them off.

 

QUOTE(marieber @ Sep 12 2007, 03:21 PM) [snapback]404841[/snapback]
Um, like eating??

In any case, my children have never complained about being in their booster chairs to read or paint or play with Doh or all the many FUN things done there, so I definitely don't think they view it as punishment at all. It just helps them keep their attention. And they LOVE LOVE LOVE their books, promise.

Sorry, didn't make myself clear. I meant that if the child isn't interested in reading, then putting him in a highchair and forcing him to read when he'd rather be doing something else isn't going to make him like it. Of course children don't mind being in a highchair if they're doing something they enjoy. The original poster asked how to get her son interested in reading since he currently shows no interest. I just don't think holding him down to read will make him enjoy it anymore.

Of course, my kids may have instilled an anti-highchair bias in me. They don't mind sitting in it to eat but want out immediately after (and they're often tugging at the straps, reaching for stuff, squirming, and generally trying to get out while they're eating). They're very independent and really resent being held in one spot. What can I say, they love their freedom. If they were boys, they'd probably wear boxers, not briefs. They LOVE books and will often sit in my lap voluntarily for a long time as I read a big pile of books but I can't imagine reading to them in their highchairs.

 

I do think your kids are getting some value out of just listening to a story, even when they are not seeing pictures.

But, also, keep some books out as toys (sounds like you do) and when they want to play with that toy, get down on the floor with them and just name objects or colors in the book they are playing with. That will make books even more interesting and they will probably start bringing books to you to read. You can work your way up to story books after they start to engage more with simple word/picture books.

 

this reminds me of a cute story. My kids go to 'kids club' while I work out. Well, to settle one down because I left, the worker will read a story. She was surprised one day when she at down with DS and DD comes running over to sit on her other knee! We read sitting on floor or on the couch. One on one knee, on on the other. Even if one isn't interested in sitting with us, we figure they are still getting some benefit by being in the same room.

 

DD loves books and will bring them to me to read. We usually get through a few before she loses interest. She loves to cuddle while I read so it's great. DS is a mover but he does come over and listen before he moves on to something else. I will engage him when he does, use his name and show him animals, etc. I hope to gain his interest more in time. I do try with him solo but want him to want it. KWIM?
I loved books as a kid and still do.

 

My neighbors had gone to a literacy for kids seminar thingy a couple of years ago. what they said was that at this age, it is okay for them to roam, to still read to them, they can hear the words, check back in with the pictures when they want, but the really important thing is the modeling. You setting the example of reading, that it is fun and important to you. By the way, they do come back to it. Now we read laying on the floor with one on either side, sittin on the floor/bed pretty much anywhere we are when they decide to ask for a story. But everynight before bed. They they get to "read" on their own before we turn out the lights.

 

I put mine in their cribs at night and I sit between them and read them a couple of books and then they go right to sleep. Thats my favorite time of the day