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How to Read to Wiggly Children

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I often overhear parents say, “I would like to read to my child more, but he/she (let’s face it, it is usually a he) just won’t sit still”.  As a former reading lady and mother of several wiggly children, I thought I would share some of the tricks that I use to read to wiggly children.

First, I start reading to my children long before they can escape (within days of birth). The earlier you start reading to your children, the more likely it is to seem like a regular daily activity like eating or bathing.

Be animated! Be silly! Make sound effects:
How to read to wiggly children My husband gasping while reading “Two beetles gasped and ran away” from Miss Spider’s Tea Party: The Counting Book.

Alternate reading with an action song. When my son is wiggly, we follow  Miss Spider’s Tea Party: The Counting Book with the Itsy Bitsy Spider, then read The Very Busy Spider and follow it up with several rounds of Old McDonald’s Farm.

Engage Your Child. Ask them to point to pictures. Being willing to stop and discuss a picture or concept they find interesting:

How to read to wiggly children My husband pauses to let my son count the tea cups. BTW, real men read stories about tea parties to their sons. 😀

If your child doesn’t want to sit on your lap, don’t make them. Read like the reading lady: Turn the book outward and let your child move about the room while you read. They will look up occasionally to see a picture and they will hear and retain much more than you think possible. Last week my son said, “You keep reading. I will be back; I am going to climb under the bed”. And  since the space under the bed was narrow, he couldn’t wiggle. It was quite an effective arrangement.

 

Take advantage of the times when you have a captive audience. Read during meal times. Have an older sibling read to your toddler while he is strapped in the car seat.
How to read to very active children My husband reading to the children at dinner time.

 

Let them act out a book while you read a book like Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed or Ten in the Bed.

Children are more likely to want to hear a story that they were involved in choosing. Let them pick out a book at the library or thrift shop.

Give them a choice between reading and something you know they don’t want to do. I sometimes ask my toddler, “would you like to read a book or clean your room?’” Let them bamboozle you into reading “one more book” before bedtime. Once they are “reading”, let them sneak a little extra reading time before they fall asleep. Nothing is more enticing than a forbidden activity!

I realize the ideas in the last paragraph are somewhat controversial. Some people may view them as deceptive or encouraging deception. I describe my teaching style as Covert Teaching. I am comfortable using subversive methods, but skip them if you are not.

How to read to wiggly children My second oldest wiggle worm reading to my youngest wiggle worm.

How do you read to your wiggly children?

Disclosure: I have linked the books to amazon, where I am an affiliate, so you can read a description if you wish. However, I encourage you to check these books out at the library.

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. April @ The 21st Century Housewife says

    I love the idea of ‘covert teaching’ – what a great concept! There are some wonderful tips here, and I speak as the mom of a formerly very wiggly boy. (He is now a totally non-wiggly grown up – and yes, he will be very, very cross with me for saying that so please don’t tell him 😉

    Reply

  2. groovie mom says

    My kids sometimes like to build with Legos, toss a ball in the air, draw…when I'm reading to them. It used to drive me nuts, but when I would "quiz" them on what I'd just read about, they always knew what was going on so now I let them do as they please so long as it's quiet.

    Reply

  3. The Activity Mom says

    Great tips! My 3 year old is great about sitting and paying attention to a story now but when he was much younger he'd always walk away and I'd just keep reading and he usually came wondering back for the rest of the story.

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.