Encouraging a Love of Books
The value of encouraging your child to be curious about, to look at, and to enjoy books cannot be overstated. Acquiring the skill of reading is important for your child's self-development as well as to her success in life. Solid reading skills help a child learn and process information.
Two-year-olds are most engaged by books with large, colorful pictures or ones having thick and heavy pages they can turn, by short stories, and even by books consisting solely of words identifying what's on the page. They also like pop-up books and books with material glued on the page that they can touch.
One way to encourage a love of books is to make adult books, newspapers, and magazines accessible to your child. At first he will try to tear the newspapers and magazines (and maybe the books), so you'll want to discourage that. At the same time, don't make the mistake of assuming he isn't old enough to enjoy books, magazines, and newspapers. This requires some foresight on your part. You can try giving him older newspapers and magazines that you don't mind being ripped, or you can make a no-ripping rule about reading material.
Fact
Even though your two-year-old can't write, you can let her scribble with large crayons and encourage her to try writing her name. She will just produce scribbling, of course, but she might not know the difference between her scribbles and handwriting (most two-year-olds can't distinguish letters). But she will be proud of what she's written.
It is important not to make your two-year-old feel that books are off-limits. As your child approaches the age of three, you can use glue sticks and ripped-up magazines and newspapers to make collages. You can also make personal books for your child. Glue or tape photographs of people your two-year-old knows as well as things she likes onto construction paper or even onto the pages of a photo album (you can label the pictures). She can look at them when she's at day care or at bedtime.
Most likely you are already reading to your toddler before bed each night. You can also use reading as a way to soothe her when she's upset or to distract her when she's focused on wanting a toy. Reading is also a good activity when she's tired but doesn't want to sleep.
Make regular reading easier and more convenient by carrying small books in the diaper bag, buying waterproof books for the bath, and taking your child to bookstores and libraries for story times. One advantage in bringing your two-year-old to a bookstore or library is that even if she doesn't love books in general, she is likely to find a book on a topic that appeals to her, such as dinosaurs, ballet, or puppies.
