The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids

by Sarah Mackenzie

WHAT TODDLERS CAN DO WHILE YOU READ ALOUD These activities are excellent for toddlers while you read aloud to them, but they are also excellent choices for when you need to keep little ones busy and quiet so you can read to their older siblings. • Eat snacks. (Try popsicles—they take a long time for small children to eat. Finger foods, when your child is ready for O-shaped cereal or small bits of fruit or cheese, are good choices as well.) • Put together chunky toddler puzzles. • Color, using paper taped to the high chair tray along with chunky crayons. • Build with blocks. • Play with a basket of favorite toys (it’s okay if your child doesn’t look like she is paying attention). • “Paint” with a paintbrush and a small dish of water (to be used in the high chair or outside—tell your kids to “paint the deck” or “paint the table” while you read). • Model with Play-Doh (when your child is old enough not to eat it). • Use washable dot markers (found in art or school supply stores, or online) on big sheets of blank paper.