7 ways to engage your toddler at story time

We all know how important it is to read to your children from a young age, but sometimes having your toddler sit and listen to an entire story is just not going to happen. Try these seven tips for keeping your children engaged during story time.

1. Try putting on different voices for the different characters in the story. Sure, you may feel a bit silly at first, but your child will become a lot more invested in the story being told if there’s an element of entertainment involved.
2. Read slowly – even when you just want the book to end! This really helps your child keep up with the storyline. If you read too fast, your child won’t feel like listening and will give up on storytime all together.
3. Similarly, following the words with your finger will ensure that you’re reading at a pace to keep your child engaged, while also helping them to recognise which sounds match certain letters.
4. If your child is becoming less and less interested with the idea of story time in general, have them choose the books that they’re going to hear. Giving them the task of choosing their own story reduces the likelihood that they will get bored.
5. Take things a step further and let your child choose a book from the library or bookstore or take care to select books that feature things they like. If your child prefers to play with their dinosaur toys than hear a story, simply choose a book with dinosaurs. Easy.
6. Routine is key for children who have a hard time focusing, so be sure to set aside time for reading at a similar time every day – for example, before bed.
7. Make it a family affair. Involving other family members in story time can make it more appealing for your child – particularly if they’re the youngest and ‘story time’ is usually closely followed by ‘bed time’ while everyone else gets to stay up.