Should I Keep Reading?

It is perfectly normal to have a very small atention span at that age, and you should definately keep reading to her. My boys are 3yrs. old now, and after I read them a book they love to read it to me, and then each other.

Keep it up and keep it casual. It doesn't matter if she's not paying attention. She's observing how you love the books, and she is listening in her own way and benefitting from the stories, and use of words. I do agree that you don't have to do so many. ONe at bedtime and one here and there when you or she feels like it should be fine. Good job, don't quit now!

Babies don't have a long attention span. To have her sit for a few pages is great. Reading to her for any length of time is great.

I am a mom of 3 kids (the youngest approaching 40) and 2 wonderful grandchildren. I had to laugh as my youngest granddaughter is 2-1/2, and the same thing happens even now. (I can't remember what my kids did!). She tends to be more "action" oriented. At 15 months "reading" was more interactive than actually reading the words on the page. She liked to turn pages and sometimes was more interested in that activity than anything else. So we worked on turning the pages without tearing them and If I could get her to point to pictures on the page, or tell me which picture was the kitty, etc., I thought it went pretty well. So don't worry -- there are a lot of developmental tasks to master at that age, like page turning and picture naming, and that's all part of it. Keep up the good work! M.

It's perfectly normal. She's only 15 months old. They lose interest very quickly. Personally, I think four books a day plus what daycare reads is a bit much for that age. She needs time to use her imagination also. I would try to maybe cut down to two books one in morning and one in before bed.

Yes please do keep reading! Now that my daughter is in school I wish that I would have spent more time reading to her. However we go to the library together every 1-2 weeks and to bookstores. On weekends when I work she goes to used book sales with her aunt. Books are great and they make great gifts too! Even though she may be playing and running around she is still listening. She may even stop and just say the words because of hearing that story before! Keep going mom!!

Absolutely keep reading! It is the best thing you can do for your daughter to help her develop language and eventually reading skills and one day develop a love of reading.

B.,
YES! Reading to your child is so important, for all of the obvious reasons. It exposes them to books, shows them your interest in the written word, teaches them the cadence or rhythm of story-telling, exposes them to letters, etc etc... A 15 month old may not seem interested, but keep going with the story (or end it if she closes the book). She will become more and more interested and involved in the stories as she gets older, especially if you keep this up! It's so important!!!
Amy K

I think very common at that age. Both of my kids did it and now my oldest is almost 5 years old and loves books and my youngest is 2 years old and loves books too. Just continue to read. Maybe get some interactive books (things to touch or things you do at certain pages) to keep her interest. I also will point at things in books or ask my children to point things out. Like, where is the cat? Or things like that.

I have read to both my kids (now 11 and 7) since they were born and they are both now avid readers. my daughter reads chapter books well above her level. Just because they don't sit still doesn't mean they don't listen. Little kids have they attention span of a gnat, but they still know what you are doing.

this is totally normal. My daughter wouldn't sit through a book until she was about 2 1/2. Try the music ones and the fuzzy ones, anything to get her interested. It will come in time. Do not give up. Perhaps 2 a day is enough though.

even when my son was in 1st grade he had a hard time sitting and reading so I would read while he cleaned his room or played with his toys. While I read I would ask him questions about the book to make sure he was paying attention, but then again he was alot older too. Now he sits down with a book and reads on his own (2nd grade) and loves it.
So yes keep reading and don't worry about the traditional way, sitting down together. She may be creating her own pictures in her head to go with the stories as she is running about or may try to act them out.

Keep reading! How wonderful for youto have started this tradition - it sure is important for the development for kids as well for them to see others read.

Kudos!

just keep reading. kids this age are easily distracted, nad have low attention spans. if shes still sitting there with you, its still time with you for her and the sound of your voice is comforting. perhaps talk about the pictures more than just reading the stories!
way to go for such a great job as a parent!
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I'm an English teacher, and my first son was not AT ALL interested in books until after he was 2. We looked at pictures occasionally, but before 2, he just wouldn't really sit still for much. After that, his interest grew rapidly and now we read frequently. He does great with letters and is sounding out words; he's 4. He's not a brilliant reader, but he IS ahead of the curve for his age. My other son is 17 months and loves to look at books--but he definitely prefers the ones with things to do--so I buy him ones with fun textures and flaps. He loves to bring books to us to sit and read, but unless they're interactive, his attention span is short. We are to the point now where we can ask him to point to simple objects ("Where's the DOG, Ethan?") and that's fun for him, but there are only so pictures of words that are easy. Anyway--I guess I would say it doesn't need to be so rigid. Great that you're encouraging a love of reading in your child, but if it's not love quite yet, don't force it, or it might never be love.

It is completely normal for her to not have a long attention span. We have read to our children since before birth and our son didn't start showing a true interest in the books until he was about 2. He will still have his moments where he will want a book read and will be doing something else while my husband or I are reading to him. I wouldn't stop reading.

definitely keep reading! i've always considered reading to kids one of the most important things you can do. even tho she isn't listening, she is hearing it. when she hears the words alot she will learn to say them easier and possibly sooner. when she is paying attention, point to pictures when you say the words so she can associate them. talking and explaining are part of reading too. i read to my daughter daily and she was talking and smart enough for preschool by 2 years old and was reading at age 4. she is now 12 and still loves to read. it will also be a great bonding time to read to her while feeding the new baby.

S. m

Definetly keep reading. Eventually she should come around. We always read to our 12 month old before naps and bed and occastionally other times. Sometimes we get through one page and other times we can read several books. It just depends on her mode and how tired she is. Try giving her a toy to hold while you read.

I agree with the others, keep reading. here's a little story..

I was enjoying a nice day out on our deck and my 3yr old was "reading" a dr suess book to his 1 yr old bro. He had it word for word. He stubled across a page and said, mommy what does this say and I seriously almost replied sound it out. He had it memorized so well that I forgot he wasn't actually reading.

That is all reading is, memorization of collected letters that make words. If we see a word that is not in the memory bank we work with the memory of the sounds of each letter until we can "input" the new word to the memory bank.

Kids do not have to be sitting quiet and watching to hear and learn. We all know that from when they over hear us say or do stupid things and they later repeat them, and we thought they had no idea what we said or did because they were busy with something else. :)

We also made it a bedtime thing. That tends to get their attention more because they know it is putting of going to sleep!

I remember some parents brought this up in an ECFE class one time, but that was in regard to kids around age 2. The answer then was that kids are listening even though they are running around, so keep reading.

Personally, I have always had books lying around for my 2 kids, had those bath-time indestructible books in with the toys. Never really "read" to the kids but had the books available. When the babies seemed interested in the books during a normal course of play, I'd pick it up, talk about pics, help turn pages forward or backward depending upon what the baby wanted to do, and dropped the book when the attention wasn't there. Now at 3 1/2yrs my oldest looks at books when I'm busy, and my 11 mo. old picks up books and brings them to me to sit on my lap and read. Again, this is just my personal experience with my own kids, but I'd say let the child follow her own interest, and when she is interested in the books, then help her to explore them. My opinion.

Good luck!

First off: Good for you for reading to your child! You couldn't give her a better gift than to appreciate books. At her age it's probably just her attention span. Try reading to her before bed- if you don't already- when she's nice and drowsy and maybe she'll pay attention longer. At 15 mths there is just SO MUCH for her to see and do!!! As she gets older I'm sure she'll stay in your lap for a longer period of time. Keep it up!

I think it is still important for you to keep reading to your child. Even though you think she isn't paying attention when you are reading, she is most likely still listening. By continuing to read, you are emphasizing that books are important. I work in a school and see soooo many kids who hate to read and don't get the support at home to read as parents don't necessarily feel that it is important. She will eventually settle down and start sitting for longer periods of time to listen. We went through the same thing with my son. He is almost 4 and within the last year or so has just started to sit for an entire book. While he still has a lot of energy, he will go over and pull out books on his own and sit and look at them. It is a very important step in getting them to read later. Good luck!

Yes, keep reading! I read to my daughter daily since even before she was born. She started reading sentences at age 3 and is now in 1st grade and reading at a 3rd grade level. I strongly believe that her love of books is related to the consistency at which we read to her. Even though she can read on her own now, she still loves the one on one time we have while reading together. Don't worry about her attention span. That is normal for a child her age. Try picture books too, and make up your own stories to go along with them. Make them about her and your family and take your time reading to her. Stop and ask frequent questions about the pages to try and get her more involved in the story. Sometimes I would even skip the book and we would make up stories. For example, a story about a doll - I would involve her by asking, what color is the dolls dress? And then repeat that in the story.

I have a 15 month old son (and due in May with baby #2) My son behaves similarly to your daughter's current behavior. He has a ton of books and will sit on the floor flipping through them looking at the pictures. He will also bring them to me, but when we start to sit down and read- the same thing happens, he is up and off to something else after a few pages!
I have found that very simple stories like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom does hold his attention. It has a lot of rhythm and ryhme to it, so it is easy to really exaggerate my voice which he loves. So I have been looking for fun books like that. The board books other people have mentioned with the textures and flaps are fun for them too.
Thanks for posting this question! I am going to try all of these tips too!

By all means, keep reading. Perhaps 4 books at one time is a little much for her age. Suggest that she pick out the book that you will read together. At this point, I would stick to the "touch and feel" books that might keep her attention longer. Also books with bright and colorful illustrations might help. If she loses interest, let her get out of your lap and play while you finish reading the book aloud. Don't force her to stay in your lap to finish a book. That might make reading a negative experience and turn her off to it later on.

Yes! Keep reading!! Even if it seems your daughter isn't listening, she will still benefit from hearing the language of books. You don't actually have to read all of the words. Let your daughter take the lead. My husband and I often just talk about the pictures with our daughter or summarize each page, especially if it is a longer book. Find books that have very simple, repetative text. We have read a lot of the Sandra Boynton books to our daughter and also some of the level 1 readers for beginning readers (Bisquit and the Baby is one of her favorites). Now at 19 months, she is starting to "read" those books to herself. She still at times will listen to a page or two and then want to move on. Any kind of engagment with books will be a benefit.

I agree with the other responses- yes keep up the good work! To make it fun for all of you- here are a few tips.
* vary your voice for different characters- be dramatic and silly- make up sound effects, have fun!
* vary loud and soft- for suspense, surprise, or calm and quiet
* Help her point out everything red in a picture, or all the circles etc.
* Ask questions- "Oh dear what's going to happen next?" "Is that what you would do?" It isn't a matter of if she can answer- it's a "get thinking" sort of comment.
* point our different letters- "look at that letter M, that's the same letter that starts MOM.
* talk to her about the people that wrote the story, or drew the pictures.
* Books that have a natural rhythm are great for repetitve readings- these will be the first stories that become so familiar, she will start associating what you are reading with the words on the page
Congatulations on bringing reading into your daughter's life!

Hi B.! Great job reading to your daughter! I read to my daughter several times every day, and I can even convince my hubby to read a couple books once in a while. She's 18 months old and usually sits well through a book or two, but I make sure they only have a few words or 1-2 sentences max on each page, otherwise she loses interest and starts checking out other things. I do continue to read if she does that because she still benefits from hearing the language, but if the books are short enough, it's not a problem. She often brings me a book and plops down in my lap, wanting me to read to her. We're also to the point now where she'll sit down on her own, start paging through a book, and jabber like she's reading. It's adorable!

Yes! Yes! Yes!. Never stop reading to her. She will eventually get to the point where she will sit still and look at the book with you. She can still listen while her attention is on other things. Reading to her is so important. I have 3 children, the first one I didn't read to much and now she is almost 30 years old and to this day, she doesn't enjoy reading and has trouble comprehending what she does read which has made it very hard for her through school and college. My second child I did what you are doing, from day one. She was reading books before she went to kingergarten. She has a love of book and owns many. She had excellent grades throughout school and is now doing the same in college. The third child also enjoys reading, but still likes to have me read to him now and then. What you are doing is very important to your childs future, and you really should stick with it. You may not see the rewards until later, but believe me they will be there and your child will thank you for it later.

You have done a good job introducing the love for literature to your daughter. At 15 months, they are really exploring her environment so it is totally okay that it doesn't seem like she's paying attention. They pick up multiple things at a time and are absorbing information that would give us parents a real headache. Let the child lead you. If you are reading to her and she grabs the book from you let her take it. Make sure that it is a relaxing experience for her. They will chew on them, they will bend them backwards, it is all learning for them. Buy board books so they last longer. I have a daycare and I buy a bunch of new board books every spring because my supply has dwindled greatly by that time. Just keep reading, but also make up stories and sing songs and do fingerplays. Find ways to change the book include her name, or familiar names and places. You could also make your own book using family pictures. Toddlers experience an object through all of their senses so let her explore. Enjoy the age.

Maybe you are trying books that are beyond her level. Very short board books with one pic and or word per page are great and quick. My daughter has always loved interactive books like the touch and feel ones and peek-a-boo flaps. Go to the library with her to pick out what she enjoys. The fact that she got to pick them out may peek her interest more. it's also great during the day to sneak in reading when they would otherwise be bored- shopping or waiting in line. Target has cute little board books almost always in their dollar section so we pick out one when we get there and my daughter gets to read in the cart. She also loves her waterproof bath books. Reading is a great activity! It won't be too long before she's wanting to read one after another.

Absolutely! My little one used to sit and page through board books over and over and would sit through us reading to him. Now he still grabs books and pages through them, stopping for us to read the pages he really likes, and then flips through the rest quickly. But he still grabs books at least four or five times a day and looks through them, sometimes laughing at the pictures or babbling as though he's reading them.

Never stop reading to her, eventually her attention span will increase and the joy of reading you've helped her learn will have a life of her own.

Absolutely keep reading! It will be so worth it! I have a 17 month old and I always try to sneak in a couple of stories after meals before he gets out of his highchair. He seems to be more attentive then. We also read before nap and bedtime. The recommendation from birth on is 20 minutes per day. "The Read Aloud Handbook" is a great resource for parents who already understand the importance of reading to children and for those who want to know more. I highly recommend it to all parents. There are also book suggestions in it which are always helpful. My son is having fun helping lift the flaps when we read, "Dear Zoo" and seems to also really enjoy "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" at this age. Keep up the good work!

Yes, yes, yes! Keep reading and talking to her while you read--what do you see? What is the ladybug doing in the picture? Where's Goose? Say the words in funny voices and in singsongy rhythms. Act out the motions on the page. (For example, my son loves to "pick" the flowers on the page of one of his books because that's what the rabbit in the story does.)

If she loses interest while reading, maybe she's done with the book for right now; don't force her to sit--you want reading to be a positive experience on her own terms. Just keep starting the books. When they are that young, you don't need to really read all the words, paraphrase the pages if you need to to shorten the story. If you keep it up, her reading endurance will build, and pretty soon she'll be reciting the book along with you!

I'm working on my reading specialist license, and I heard the most amazing research: the number of words that a three year old has in her head (can use or understand) predicts her reading level at grade four, which then predicts how much money she'll make as an adult. Keep reading and talking to her--that's the best way to get those words in her head!!

I'm an early childhood teacher and I agree with all the good advice you've gotten.

We started reading to our boys when they were infants, and they loved storytime as early as 5 months old, so we never went through a stage like you're going through. Both boys loved looking at books on their own as soon as they could hold them, and both boys learned to read at 4. My younger one was a wild toddler, but my husband could put a stack of books on his highchair tray and buy enough time to run upstairs and get dressed for work each morning. They read for fun every day, and read for at least an hour a day, at the ages of 8 and 11.

Here are a few more tips to add to the ones you've gotten:
*read only really good books
*read funny books
*go to the library to get new books at least every two weeks
*put a lot of excitement and drama in your voice
*let her look at her board books whenever she wants to
*look for predictable books, rhyming books, and books that she can participate in by saying some of the words or sounds
*read daily so she knows how much you value reading
*talk about how much you love books, and show how to handle them with care

Good luck! What you are doing will really pay off.

I apologize if my advise is duplicate--I was out of town and didn't read your other replies before starting mine! Kuddos to you and your husband for introducing books at a young age. Your little one, however, should certainly not be expected to sit through a whole book (unless they are the very simple board books with a simple sentence per page). Back off the "reading" and make it an interactive experience--point to the pictures, use simple phrases and words, paraphrase the story, etc until she is older. I also found that my 1st daughter at that age LOVED the "Priddy" books (that's the publisher) that use the real pictures rather than drawings, cartoons, etc. She would look at these with us or on her own up until past the age of 2! We just tried to ask different questions (or at least in a different order) to keep it from getting too routine/predicatable. YES, keep doing book time, just try changing your approach a bit due to her young age!

Yes, it's normal. Some kids really get into it at an early age, while other kids don't. Keep trying.
My oldest had no interest in books as a baby (other than chewing on them) but started loving bedtime stories as an older toddler. And now that he can read by himself, he loves reading even more.
My current 2-year-old sees his brother's example and already loves books. He pretends to read the stories and will just sit and look at pictures by himself.
I think it helps that they see my husband and me with books a lot: I love to read and my hubby is always studying his technical books. We have LOT of books available for the boys and have taught them that reading makes people smarter. When my 6-year-old hears my husband complain about someone he had to deal with that didn't know how to do his or her job well, our oldest says, "Maybe they should read more books!" =)

ABSOLUTELY! I went through this too. We're both avid readers and want to pass the love of books on to our son. I spent what seemed like FORever frustrated with the fact that he just didn't seem interested. Then (hooray!!) that started to change (not overnight, but bit by bit) he started wanting to turn the pages & now he's bringing us books and the attention span is getting longer. You're doing a great thing - just hang in there & you'll experience the pay off :-)