How do you read with twins?

I am lost on how to do this. I do not want to feel like a kindergarten teacher facing them reading. I would like to pile them up in my lap, but they grab at the book like a toy and are really seem disinterested. Any ideas??? Reading is very important to me!!

 

One thing I did was to lay them on the floor, each one on each side of me, myself lay down and hold the book up in the air so they could see the book. Another thing you can do is to put each baby on a leg (lap) when they are a bit more balanced. It is definately a challenge!

 

I pile them in my lap. As young as they are, I wouldn't worry at all if they distract themselves with a toy. Our goal was just to introduce reading as something fun to do and something important to do. If gnawing on a toy at story time makes it fun, then I'm all for it! If that doesn't work for you, what about sitting between them in bouncers/bumbos and reading? Their attention span is only going to be a few moments no matter how you arrange it, but keep up the reading anyway!

 

I read to one at a time in my lap, always board books so they can grab and turn the pages--it makes it more fun for them which at this point is what is going to teach them that reading is fun. Their attention span is so short that the other one doesn't have time to get bored or fussy by herself.

 

I lay down in between them usually.
When they get more mobile, it will definitley be more of a challenge!

 

We do circle time every morning. lol Seriously though I sit them on the couch on their boppies and I sit in the floor facing them and read to them. I have some of the books memorized so that makes it easy. Sometimes I will sit them both on my lap and read but they wiggle so much that it is much harder that way.

 

I usually read to them one at a time. DS loves reading as part of his nap/bedtime routine. I try to do it with DD at other times (since she doesn't like the stimulation when she's tired).

They play with the books, grab, etc - and that's totally ok! As pps said, "books are fun" is the most important thing.

We also have a couple of cloth books made by Manhattan Toy that are really cool. They love just playing with them on their own.

 

I get large books from the library each week so they can each SEE the page (with the small books we have, it was too hard as one always fussed when I would remove the book from their sight) I lay on the floor in between the two facing up towrds the ceiling, and so I can see them both at eye level, then I just hold up the book in the air and talk about the colors/pictures. I occasionally read the story but they are just too little to have the attention span to listen to an entire story. I love using the library b/c it is free and you can get a lot of books at once (and so Mom doesn't get bored with the same stories over and over) The large Books are so pricey and besides, I don't know what they will like when they are older, so we use the library for now and just fill a large bag once a week (or two) and then return for more books after we've read them a few times. The babies love a trip out too (well really it's for Mom) and it's a nice quiet environment for them as well. I usually go right after lunch when their bellies are full so we never have any fussing (well at least not yet). I love exposing them to new things and I have found that this is a great way without spending a fortune on books. I have a large basket in my LR just for the library books so I don't misplace them; and when friends come by with their kids they always know that there will be new books for them as well. For bedtime I am the 'teacher' and sit facing them; I plop them in their Boppy's and I read the smaller books to them, we are using Good night Moon as I have 2 copies of all my favorite bedtime stories, and I just hold the two up for now until I can have them sit with me and just use one book.

 

HI

I memorized books and read them anyway -- and let thekids play with the books. My kids are super duper interested in books --they are a preferred toy around here. THey now sit and "read" them themselves (mimic what Daddy and I do with them)

I tend to read with the book turned outward -- and read til they are done. We also pull the kids up on our laps and read that way -- but they ahve gotten less tolerant of this since they started walking (aroudn 11 ms)

I think you can garner intrerest in books by just letting kids play with them (board ones a regreat for this) and read to them as you can.

Teri D

 

QUOTE(reeba1976 @ Aug 22 2007, 11:45 AM) [snapback]374697[/snapback]
I am lost on how to do this. I do not want to feel like a kindergarten teacher facing them reading. I would like to pile them up in my lap, but they grab at the book like a toy and are really seem disinterested. Any ideas??? Reading is very important to me!!

I think the most important thing is that they have a lot of exposure to books, however you do it. Let them play with & chew on the board books. If you are reading they are listening even if they are playing with other toys, wandering around the room, etc.. I sometimes do the Kindergarden teacher thing & sometimes read to one at a time on my lap. We often don't get through a whole book before someone grabs it. I just let them have it & start a new one. I think that keeps them interested in the books & keeps it fun. I've also read somewhere that one of the most important things to raising a reader is for them to see Mom/Dad reading. Not that they have to watch you read :winking0009: but if you have books on your nightstand, a daily paper, magazines etc they get the message that reading is a valued thing my Mom/Dad.

 

I sit on the couch with my legs crossed and one on each thigh and them my 2 year old sits next to us... It is my favorite thing to do will all three. The babies are almost 5 months now and I can tell they really are getting interested in the colors.

 

QUOTE(JicJac @ Aug 22 2007, 11:50 AM) [snapback]374703[/snapback]
One thing I did was to lay them on the floor, each one on each side of me, myself lay down and hold the book up in the air so they could see the book.


This is what I've been doing lately!

 

well, my one dd didn't really start sitting for a book until about 13 months and my other dd just recently started enjoying having a book read to her. she usually preferred to "read" the book by herself so I let her do her thing. once in a while i would try to read it to her but if she wasn't interested i would back off. basically until then, if you feel you must attempt to do it with them just make sure it's not a long book and if it is, paraphrase it to make the language very short and simple. or you could try reading to them when they are sitting in the high chairs eating. i would also just have lots of board books around all the time for them with their toys. i found that my girls more and more started picking them up on their own and looking at them. then i would go over and say "want me to read that to you?" and put them on my lap. sometimes they would listen to 1 or 2 pages and then off they'd go. it's important i think also NOT to push it on them. they will eventually get into it. now they not only bring me books for them to read a gazillion times a day, but they sit for the entire book and are labeling and "talking" about the pictures and pointing things out. Right now, I have a lot of label board books for them which has been great because i read them over and over (and over) and they are learning the words. Like I said, when I have a regular story book that's much wordier I rephrase it into a simple sentence or 2 other wise i totally lose them after only a couple of pages.

when they were much younger (before they could sit up) i would do what pp said.