How you read to your child makes a difference in how ready they are to learn to read.

By asking your child questions and responding to your child in a certain way you can improve your child’s vocabulary and comprehension.

Ask “What?” questions. For example, “What is this?” or “What happens next?”

Follow your child’s answer with another question. For example, “Yes that is a dog. What is the dog doing?”

Repeat what your child says and expand on it. For example, “Yes, I think you are right. The dog is digging. The dog is digging to find a bone.”

Help your child as needed and praise and encourage your child often!

Follow your child’s interest.

Print Motivation

• Make the time spent sharing a book special for both you and your child.
• Let your child see you reading. It is especially important for a child to see his or her father read!
• Visit your public library often.

Narrative Skills

• Tell your child stories.
• Ask your child to tell you about something that happened today. Listen patiently.
• Read together and ask your child questions about what comes first, next and last.

Letter Awareness

• Help your child see different shapes and the shapes of letters.
• Talk to your child about what is the same and what is different between two things.
• Write your child’s name.
• Make letters out of clay or play with magnetic letters.
• Read alphabet books.
• Point out and name letters on signs, toys and other objects.

Print Awareness

• Read a variety of everyday print, such as street signs, cereal boxes and lists, out loud to your child.
• Point to words as you say them.
• Allow your child to hold the book, turn the pages, and tell you the story.

Vocabulary

• Talk with your child about what you are doing and what is going on around you. Talk about your feelings and your child’s feelings.
• When your child talks to you, add more detail to what he or she says.
• Speak in the language most comfortable to you.
• Ask your child lots of questions.
• Read together every day.

Phonological Awareness

• Recite nursery rhymes to your child, emphasizing the words that rhyme.
• Make up silly nonsense rhymes.
• Sing to your child, even if you do not think your voice is good!
• Play word games, such as “What rhymes with ‘ball’?” or “What starts with the same sound as ‘dog’?”
• Again, recite rhymes and sing songs in the language most comfortable to you.

Yes! Your child starts learning from birth. Research has found that there are six pre-reading skills children must gain in order to learn to read.

Print Motivation

Developing an interest in books and learning to enjoy books and reading.

Narrative Skills

Learning to describe things and events and tell stories.

Letter Awareness

Learning that letters are different from each other, learning their names and sounds.

Print Awareness

Noticing letters and words, following the words on a page and learning how to handle a book.

Vocabulary

Learning the names of things.

Phonological Awareness

Learning to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.

SMPL Toddler Time Guidelines

Toddler Time is a 20-minute story time for toddlers approximately 2 years of age accompanied by an adult who is willing to participate in the activities.

Each session includes stories, finger plays, nursery rhymes and songs.

You and your child will benefit most if during the program you participate together by:

• Hold your child in your lap or near you.
• Joining in the activities by listening and participating in the program.
• Quietly focusing your child’s attention on each story time activity.
• Leaving books, toys or snacks outside the story area.
• Please turn off your cell phone or pager.
• If your child is not ready to listen or becomes disruptive, please take him or her aside until they are ready to return.

Books your toddler may enjoy are found in the board book and picture book areas in the Santa Monica Public Library. For a list of suggested books for your toddler, click here...

The picture books are labeled and sorted by the author’s last name. The board books are labeled with the author’s last name and are often found in a basket or bin in the children’s area.

A few authors your toddler may enjoy:

Please Note: The authors below also write and illustrate books for other age groups. If you have any questions, please ask a Children's Librarian.

• Brown, Margaret Wise
• Carle, Eric
• Cousins, Lucy
• Crews, Donald
• Keats, Ezra Jack
• Martin, Bill
• McPhail, David
• Shannon, David
• Shaw, Nancy
• Simmons, Jane
• Yaccarino, Dan
• Zion, Gene

• Short simple stories with rhymes, rhythm and repetition
• Bright clear photos and illustrations
• Activities that invite participation such as making animal or silly sounds
• Experiences and items from his or her everyday life
• Different sizes and shapes
• Flaps that lift or pop-up illustrations
• Songs
• Most of all, the book should be fun for you and your child!

Please note, although there are many books at the library appropriate for your toddler, it is also important for toddlers to have books of their very own to read and play with!

When purchasing a book for a toddler, make sure there are no small parts or anything that may become hazardous to your child.