Need Advice for Reading to Toddlers

Modeling is so important. If they see you reading and see how much enjoyment you get from it, they may take more interest in the subject. I wont happen over night but keep working on it. It is so important.

Not all kids are readers. My son was that way, but he is now 5 and loves to read. Just give them time. I would be worried that would turn them off from books when they get older.

I have a 20 month old and she loves me to read to her, her favorite and mine are the "How does a Dinosaur Say Good Night" Well it was my favorite the first hundred times lol but it is very short and we change some of the words to words we actually say like instead of good night we say night night and we change papa to daddy I think she understands it better and now that I have it memorized when she is tired or hungry and we are out and she hits her point I recite the book and she will go from screaming to silent without having to pick her up and you know trying to grocery shop holding a two year old is not the easiest thing in the world. You might want to start backwards memorize a book and recite it when they are quietly playing and when u find one they like introduce the actual book later

My little girl is the same way! She wants to be in charge of reading the book. She will try to take over if she sees me reading my older son a book too. When reading to her I basically let her drive; she turns the pages and points at random things and I name them for her. She has gotten a little better recently where after a while she will let me read a few pages to her.

Both my kiddos have enjoyed baby and pre-school story times at the local library though. They usually just sit like the other kiddos while the librarian reads a story.

Maybe pick up a summer program schedule from your local library, and ask for some tips from the children's librarians on reading to two busy toddlers.

My thought is they're bored with story telling right now. They're 2 1/2? Their attention spans probably aren't that big, so that is why they wander off.
Have you tried dressing up for the parts in the story>? Make it more like a play? Get them dressed up in their gear after they've picked which character they'd like to be, and started reading the story.
For example, if it's "Cars"...let one of them be McQueen and one be Doc. Dress one boy in all red, the other blue and get them to run around the "racetrack"...
Or you could try animating your voice more (if you do that already).
Good luck and have fun!

Don't worry if they are impatient with the words...that's normal.

A few suggestions. If you have been doing books before bed or naps, that might be why they are saying "no."

You might try reading to them when they are in the bath. You risk getting the book wet for sure, but it will give them some distance from the book (so no fighting over pages--no one can touch pages except you because they are wet. They may be able to accept that more)...it won't be pulling them away from whatever they are doing and you don't even have to ask "Would you like to read a book?" just say "I'm going to read you this story while you are in the bath.

Richard Scary's Longest Book Ever is another one I'd try (NOT in the bath--it's hands on). It folds out into a LOOOONG train. You can unfold it all in the living room and there should be enough space for them to play with all the train while you read the story on it.

Short books with very little words are best at that age. When my son's were 1 and 3 they enjoyed the book "Oh David" together (it was their favorite for a long time). Super short, but hilarious! All of the Diaper David books are good that way. At this age you just want them to get interested in the books and talk about what they see. Reading a longer story with a plot isn't as important.

My sons (19 months apart) fought over page turning too. For a while I made page turning off limits to them--or made them take turns (which is a hard concept at 2). It's very easy to hold board books closed though and just not let them turn the pages until you are done (regular paper books are harder to manage this with).

It might also help to have someone else (dad or grandpa or grandma when available) read one a story while you read the other a story sometime.

First of all. sounds like everytime you try it's with them together...try it one at a time...let one play while you read to the other...the one left out will interrupt often...let him...it means it will take longer but you will get through it...You will also notice one will sit better for it than the other...So you will end up adjusting the type of books you read to that one..I say this as I hag GB twins...

My son will sit and listen to books for hoirs on end...my daughter will only sit for minutes...I discovered rhyming books that I coudl do in a sing songy voice held her attention better and I chose shorter books.

now they both have favorites that they bring tome all they time and I read over and over again...One of MY favorites is The Monster at the End of this Book"...It has lots of emphasized words and interesting things that he does to keep you from turning pages and my kids get really in to it...

Another favorite here is the pigeon books (i.e. "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus") it's interactive in that the pigeon is constantly asking if he can drive the bus and you have your toddler say no to him...my kids have lots of fun..they have even started telling him yes just to tease me...

Good Luck... ;-)

My son was the same way. Don't stress about it, just keep trying to introduce it and let them look at the pictures. In time they will actually sit still and listen to a story.

My son LOVES reading now and when he was about 4 I started reading chapter books to him before bed at night, and now he's 7 and reads them himself.

So don't worry, it will happen!

You might want to ask them to read the book to you, I know that they are too small and can't actually do it but they will eventually make up some story. If this doesn't work out because they are fighting for the book try to do it seperately. Good luck