Notes on Raising a Reader
a tour of my two year old's reading life
Eight months ago, I shared a short reflection on my son’s budding relationship with books, along with three family practices for establishing a love of literacy in our home. I figured I would return to the format every year in order to create a little reading time capsule for my son—and to ponder what I’ve learned about raising a reader. A lot has changed in the last eight months with so many developmental shifts. I’m having the best time as a toddler mom, and I couldn’t wait another few months to record what’s happening in Theo’s reading life.
This series is not intended for dispensing advice. I taught high school, not preschool—I have no legitimate expertise in the early literacy field. I simply intend to record my favorite moments as a bookish mom in order to pay attention to how much Theo is learning and how we’re developing our family reading culture. What works for us may not work for you, and our routines are ever-changing (hence my need to get them down in writing), so keep those caveats in mind as you read on.
Today, I’m sharing one reading routine that works well for two year old Theo, a big change in our book selection process, and a handful of favorite titles with language-learning benefits.
Reading Through Transitions
Two-year-olds do not love transitions (neither do I, a thirty-one-year old). For toddlers, only the present moment exists, so getting them from point A to point B ranges from easy peasy to a Herculean task, depending on the day. Theo is a pretty easy going little guy, but we’re beginning to come up against some classic toddler resistance.
To avoid whining (which triggers me) or a full-blown tantrum (sometimes easier to deal with than whining, if I’m being honest), we read books. If Theo is contentedly playing with his toolbox, but we need to leave in fifteen minutes for an appointment, I suggest we read a book—or I just start reading a book without him, and he inevitably inches onto my lap. Transitioning from the end of a book (and mom’s arms) is easier than transitioning from his own imaginary world or focused independent play. A book has a clear ending point, and, as the narrator, I can capture Theo’s attention.
To transition between tasks, we read one or two books, I tell Theo it’s time to get dressed, and usually we make it out the door with less resistance. I know it’s more about the connection time than the act of reading, but it helps me to have a specific and enjoyable way to ease meltdowns—or prevent them in the first place.
Developing Interests
Theo still visits Miss Victoria to stock up on library titles at least once a month, but we recently started telling her about Theo’s current interests in order to guide her recommendations. I love watching Theo’s personal taste develop, and trying out a bunch of library books has been a great way to see where his interests lie.
For example, after some construction vehicles mesmerized Theo on a neighborhood walk, we told Miss Victoria he might be interested in a book about excavators or bulldozers. We checked out a pile and took them home, but within three pages of every construction book, Theo lost interest. He’d get up and walk away or close the book and look for something different to read. Noted. No construction books.
If there isn’t an animal in your picture book, I’m sorry, but my son will not be interested. He loves animals, especially farm animals and puppies—but he’s been hooked on a few crocodile/alligator books from the library, too.
I’ve also been paying closer attention to the art styles Theo seems drawn to. He likes search and find books, or picture books with busy illustrations and lots of color. He also has some favorite characters now, so Daniel Tiger and Bluey books get prime placement on the shelf.
Repetition & Rhyme
Theo is a singer. If he’s not singing a song, he’s talking, and if he’s not talking, he’s either humming or reading. His favorite tune: “Old Macdonald”—but he’ll sing the whole nursery song book if you stick around long enough to hear it. This is fabulous for his language development (I tell myself as I listen to “Old Macdonald” 150x/day), and it signals an important phase in his reading life: repetition and rhyme.
Theo asks to read the same books over and over and over, sometimes back-to-back in one sitting. I could get annoyed—sometimes my mouth does get a little dry—but I choose to celebrate this milestone by reading again and again and again. The fruits of my labor are evident: Theo “reads” to himself, reciting pieces of the text as he flips through the pages and recognizes the pictures. I know I said I’m not an expert, but I do know this is an important step in the reading process.
Theo naturally gravitates towards books with repetition, rhyme, and musicality—but I like to intentionally curate our shelves, too. Lately, I’m looking for books with only one or two sentences per page, repetitive phrases, rhyme scheme, or all of the above. These books are fun to listen to, they build vocabulary, and they will be fantastic books for word recognition and early reading practice. Here are a few of our current favorites:
We haven’t given up on narrative picture books! Theo asks for these books almost every day and acts them out during play time.
We want Theo to develop strong reading skills, sure. But mainly we hope Theo loves to read, or at least finds books to be a decent diversion from life’s stresses. Above all, we hope he loves to learn, follows his curiosity, and includes us in his interests (which probably won’t always be cows and horses, but you never know).
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I loved reading this! I don’t have children but hope to one day, so this was a fun look into the reading life of a two year old 🥰
I love the idea of using a quick readaloud as a transition. So smart! Where were you when my kids were toddlers?