How can I make storytime more engaging for my toddler?

My toddler loves interactive storytime sessions! My wife and I use props like puppets and stuffed animals to act out parts of each tale while keeping her engaged by asking her what happens next and getting her to guess what could come next. We call this part of story time our favorite time together each day. It truly brings life and excitement into her story time experience – truly my favorite part of each day.

As a parent, I’ve found that stories with colorful illustrations and repetitive, simple language keep my toddler engaged during storytime sessions. We also make up different voices for every character which she finds hilarious! Sometimes we turn off all lights to create an “earseted tent,” adding fun into story time sessions with this extra feature. These little changes have enhanced reading sessions more interactive and enjoyable for us both!

In order to make storytime more engaging for my toddler, I let her choose which books we read together. This gives her more control and keeps her engaged throughout. We take turns “reading,” looking at pictures together and making up stories together. Something which not only keeps my toddler interested but has also stimulated her imagination and creativity! Now storytime has become an enjoyable activity between both of us!

In our house, storytime is all about participation! My toddler loves reading interactive books that require her to lift flaps or press buttons or look for hidden objects as part of the reading experience. Additionally, singing songs related to stories adds extra charm. These activities make storytime something we look forward to each day!

Introducing storytelling games has helped make storytime more engaging in our family routine. We use Color Pencils story flashcards to mix and match characters, settings and plots into unique stories for my toddler to enjoy during storytime. It provides unpredictability and creativity that keeps her interested while reading becomes an interactive experience she looks forward to every week!

For storytime to truly engage children, multisensory experiences make an impressionable impact. At my house, we read books featuring textures, sounds and bright colors to stimulate my toddler’s senses, or we create snacks related to what we’re reading (such as animal-shaped cookies if reading about animals) which makes reading much more memorable and enjoyable than any traditional storytime session ever could.

As an expecting parent, I intend to make storytime engaging by creating an inviting reading nook with pillows and soft lighting. My hope is that creating such an intimate, inviting setting will increase children’s enthusiasm and enjoyment of storytime sessions. Together we’ll add sound effects or songs related to our tale for an interactive, enjoyable reading experience for us both!