Reading For 2 Year Olds

READING FOR 2 YEAR OLDS

Giving your baby the best possible start from the standpoint of health and habits has been your main preoccupation for the first year or two of his life.

But now comes the time for which you've been waiting, perhaps impatiently. You can introduce him to the world of books, music, and art, and a thousand other things which give pleasure and meaning to life.

Of course, your 2-year-old won't be able to appreciate Shakespeare and Rembrandt right off the bat, any more than he can play football. But he can and will enjoy stories, music, and pictures which are appropriate to his particular stage of growth.

If you love these things yourself, the story or music hour will probably prove to be the happiest time of the day for both of you, since there's no pleasure more keen than sharing things with those we love.

Moreover, it's one of the most pleasant times of companionship. Your little fellow is bathed and clean and all ready for bed. In slippers and bathrobe, he snuggles against you while the two of you pore over books or listen to the music.

A 2-year-old's attention span is very short. So when reading for 2 year olds, it's time to stop reading or listening to the music as soon as he becomes restless and loses interest. He'll be 2 1/2 or 3 before he shows any prolonged interests in reading or listening to music. By then, he'll also be a real procrastinator and will do everything he can to stall his inevitable bedtime. To avoid this, set a definite amount of time for reading and listening, and stick to it as closely as possible.

Don't hurry him along too fast in the realm of books and music. Always remember that he has his own way of learning and his own time for doing it.
 

Perhaps when you were young, Alice in Wonderland was a high spot in your life, and you couldn't wait until your child grew old enough to live it as you did. However, if you introduce it into your child's life now when he may not be ready for it, he may refuse to have anything to do with it.
 

A better way is to provide a plentiful supply of enjoyable books and stories for each stage of development and let your
youngster choose the ones which attract him at that time.

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