Types of Toddler Readers (And How to Encourage Reading!)
The Four Types of Toddler Readers
In our experience, toddlers can be classified into one of four types of early readers. While some of these types are more ideal than others, you should know that the following descriptions are all completely typical behavior for your child’s developmental stage. In some instances, your child is just relying on you to get a little more creative with reading time. Below we have outlined a few different types of readers and included some tips and tricks to help you navigate common reading time challenges!
The Zipper:
This is the child that will climb up on your lap and is happy to read with you whenever or wherever. You and your child zip through story time with ease.
Tips for the Zipper:
Continue to foster this literary exploration by reading daily and steadily progressing to more challenging books as you see fit!
Take turns picking out what to read - follow your child’s lead.
Ask questions - ask them the names of the pictures (nouns and categories), what people/animals are doing (verbs), what parts they have (tiger has a tail, stripes, big, sharp teeth--adjectives and part vs. whole relationships), talk about character’s feelings, problems, how they can solve them (social/emotional development).
The Ripper:
We mean this quite literally. If your child immediately begins to rip the pages when it’s storytime, you may have a “Ripper” on your hands. This could be for various reasons: your child is excited and this is how they’re expressing that emotion, your child is not a fan of storytime, or maybe your child just loves the sound of pages ripping.
Tips for the Ripper:
Board or cloth books are great for the Ripper.
Also, consumable magazines that you can subscribe to based on your child’s age such as Highlights or National Geographic are great choices.
You may also try giving your child a toy to play with during story time. There are some fun books that have stuffed animal companions that would be great for this. Your child can get out their energy by playing with the toy and making it act out the storyline while you read!
The Flipper:
Ah, the Flipper. This one can be challenging - your child gets a book and flips through the entire book in a flash. Before you even start reading, they are moving on to the next thing!
Tips for the Flipper:
Get two copies of the book your child is interested in. You could start with the ones that you already had multiples of, maybe from a baby shower or a birthday gift. Give one to your child, and keep one for yourself. As they flip, you can read your copy, pointing out items/characters/animals in your book and encouraging them to do the same with their book. -Also a good candidate for a stuffed animal companion as mentioned above in “The Ripper”. -Point to pictures, have your child point as well.
Make mistakes, have your child correct them (then there was a big tiger (point to an elephant), let them correct).
Keep your rate slow so your child can process the language they are being exposed to.
The Skipper:
And, finally, we have the Skipper. DUN DUN DUN. The Skipper is the child who would rather do anything but read. Their plan is to avoid storytime altogether. But no need to fear, we have tips for reading for the Skipper, also!
Tips for the Skipper:
Pair story time with one of their favorite activities. For example, if they love lunch, read to them while they’re eating. Or maybe they love going on hikes (when it isn’t 115 degrees outside), and when you get to the top of the trail, you whip out a short story and they get to rest, eat their snack, and listen.
Build a fort and use a flashlight to read the book.
Also a good candidate for a stuffed animal companion as mentioned above in “The Ripper”.
Be fun and engaging - change your voice/read with inflection, change voices for different characters, sounds (vroom/whoosh).
Final Thoughts:
With Flippers, Rippers and Skippers, try adjusting the times of day you read/for how long you read/giving choices. Keep in mind that children this age love repetition. Be patient with their want/need to read the same book again and again.
With all four types - think FREQUENCY AND FUN! Try to read at least once a day, and always stop before the fun ends, leaving your child wanting more!
Reading is everywhere! Giving your child access to language is the key! Read road signs and billboards, labels at the grocery store, recipe instructions, whatever is available in your child’s daily environment (see our “Language at…” series for more ideas-COMING SOON!) Singing songs or teaching your child finger plays (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Baby Shark, etc.) is a great way to engage your child with rhyming and motor skills. It’s important to note that toddlers shouldn’t always be expected to sit and attentively read at this age. You can read while they are participating in a quiet activity such as coloring or maybe even a gross motor activity like jumping on a small trampoline - they are still listening and learning.
What type of child do you have? Comment below and tell us what works for your emerging reader!
If you are concerned about your child’s development, please do not wait to seek professional help from your pediatrician or local speech language pathologist. Trust your parental instincts!
Whether your child is a Zipper, a Ripper, a Flipper, or a Skipper, we would love to see them for our Ready to Grow Reading Readiness Program designed for children ages 3-6 at our Grow with Words Speech Therapy Clinic in Gilbert, AZ! Classes are just $10 a session! Come Grow with Us Today!