Dear Dorie,

I read to my 1 1/2-year-old daughter every day, and have since her birth. Lately, she seems to flip through the pages before I finish the sentence or paragraph, so I’m not really finishing the story. Should I make her wait until I finish the page or let her play with the book this way?

Reading Rush



Dear Rush,

Congratulations. Your daughter’s emergent literacy skills are evolving every time you pick up a book, whether you read it or not. Concepts like book knowledge (how to hold it and turn pages for example), print awareness and appreciation of different literate forms are highly complex and very interesting to your little one. Let her play with the book during your time together and follow what’s of interest to her.

That said, if you are really concerned that her patience is an issue, there are a few tips to encourage her to enjoy each page a little longer. First, take a look at what you’re reading. She might be bored with the same books or bored with the content. Take a trip to your local library and mix it up a bit. Next, try pointing to the words as you read them. She may be looking for print awareness — that is, awareness that print conveys meaning and can be written down. Finally, when she reaches to turn the page, you can try a gentle phrase like, “Mommy’s almost finished, wait one second” and finish the text. Follow up with a big, “Okay, NOW turn the page.”

Keep it light and never force the issue, and you’ll continue to have a wonderful time “reading” together. Good luck.

Dorie

(Dorie Meek is director of the Infant & Family Support Program, provided by Saint John’s Health Center in partnership with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Meek answers questions concerning children ages birth to 5 years old. Submit your questions to “Dear Dorie” at meek@smmusd.org, or call (310) 452-6132; fax (310) 452-6392).