Top Age-Appropriate Books for Young Toddlers

With a background in Psychology and currently working with children ages birth to three years, I am well-aware of the importance of reading to your child. I have a very active 14-month-old son at home that absolutely adores books. He’ll always take time out to bring me a favorite book, sit in my lap, and allow me to read it to him for a while. This makes me extremely happy, but I have to say that I’m sure a lot of the credit goes toward to fact that he’s got age-appropriate books on hand to choose from that are not only fun, but are also very stimulating. Here’s what to look for in a book when searching for your young toddler, approximately 12 to 18 months of age:

Touch and Feel books.

These books are absolutely wonderful and there are so many out there to choose from. You can open a page and find at least one object that has a texture on it for sensory exploration. I encourage my son to turn the pages himself and whatever page he opens it to, I name the object I see and he pats at the texture. Children learn so much through the sense of touch, and this is a perfect way to give it to them.

Peek-a-boo books.

Another winner in my household are the peek-a-boo books. These also tend to come in a great variety, from bedtime peek-a-boo, to playtime peek-a-boo. My son can turn a page and inside the book are flaps that he must open to find what is beneath it. This is a great way to tune up those fine motor skills and hands them an element of surprise when finding what lies beneath the flap. It also builds on memory as the child turns the flap over and over again just to see that it is always the same object there. Books like this that you can manipulate are wonderful for the young toddler as they have a sense of fulfillment when they are the ones that are able to “read” the book. Great hands-on fun!

Musical books.

Another great manipulative are the musical books where your child can push one of many buttons on the side of the book that then plays music corresponding to a particular page within. Many children this age adore it when you sing to them, and may think it’s pretty neat that there is music to back up your words.

This being said, please remember that any book can be beneficial to your child. I understand that the Dr. Seuss books are well beyond my 14-month-old right now just due to the fact that he can’t yet understand what it is I’m reading, but he still loves them! I’m sure it has to do with the rhyming and the way I read the book to him in an excited voice. We many only get through a page or two before he’s ready to be done, but I know he was still listening to those rhymes, no matter how long the fun lasted. Even if he doesn’t understand it, he is still listening, and this will be beneficial in the future. The more you talk to your child, the more words they will begin to understand. Books are a great way to get there!

When looking for an age-appropriate book for your young toddler keep these characteristics in mind:

1. Make them chunky board books so the pages are easy for little hands to turn and they wont tear.

2. Short books are great for short attention spans.

3. Stick to books that aren’t too “busy.” Books that have just one or a few items on each page are best instead of books that have multiple items on each page. These books can get a little too confusing for little ones.

4. Simple books with familiar items are great as these are the items they will probably be aware of in their surroundings.

When reading a book to a young toddler, I always say it’s best not to read at all. Forget about the words. Just look at each page and point to the items, telling your child what you see. Keep it simple. This is a great way to stimulate your child’s language. It’s also great for short attention spans as your child may just be interested in turning the pages.

I absolutely love reading books with my son. It’s my hope that I’ll help to instill within him a love of reading throughout the years. This is our start.