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How To Teach Infants and Toddlers About Reading, Including Phonics

Welcome! All the experiences and activities I share are backed by evidence-based research and 50 years of real-world experience in early childhood learning. Citations are included.


Songs

Sing short rhyming songs often at predictable times during the day. Use singing as part of your routines.


Make a list of the cute little songs you sing and share them with others who care for your child. If you can't imagine singing, you can always use chanting rhymes and finger plays.


ideas

Hickory Dickory Dock

Twinkle Twinkle

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

ABC's

Open Shut Them

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Mr. Sun



Combine these songs with predictable movements, and you've got the perfect pre-reading activity for infants and toddlers. The more often you connect with your infant in a reciprocal way, the more rapidly their brains develop. Harvard calls this connection Serve and Return.



Here's a resource page on serve and return from The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard.


Books

Short, catchy, rhyming Books work best. Use this as an opportunity for emotional bonding. Have fun with books.


Tips for kids who don't sit still

  •  read to them in their car seat

  •  read to them when they're in their high chair

  •  Let them hold another book while you read one

  •  Use indestructible baby books

  • Make sure they see you read for enjoyment and information

  •  Read books before they sleep.

  •  Read to another child while they mill about.

  •  Let them see you read often.

  • Talk about great books with enthusiasm.

Read to your bunny often, and your bunny will read to you. -Rosemary Wells

Sometimes reading to kids can feel like a chore. Especially when we're tired or have other concerns on our minds. Try your best to be in the moment and use it as your (15 or 5) minutes of fame. Read the book like you're on stage.


Seriously. You'll stay awake, and the kids will start to appreciate a good story.


citation

Horowitz-Kraus, T., Magaliff, L., Kraus, D. et al.Engagement of networks related to attention, executive function, and sensory processing during parental vs experimenter story-listening: an fMRI study. Pediatr Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04297-2


The study was published in the journal Pediatrics and often cited from a 2015/2017 research series titled: "Home Reading Environment and Brain Activation in Preschool Children Listening to Stories." 


Click here for a list of Girl-Power Books for the Very Young.


Play

Since children develop from the inside out, they need a lot of active play during this time to get to the developmental point where they can learn to read.  Luckily, reading skills can also be taught actively. The trick is to use excitement and fun when talking about words and letters. Children love to notice things and solve problems when the problems are at the right developmental level.


As an early childhood teacher for over 5 decades, I can tell when a child is engaged in learning. I know when to continue the conversation and when to drop it. It has to do with the sparkle in their eyes. I've learned to recognize the spark of emotion that fuels the intrinsic process of learning. Seeing that spark is what keeps me motivated year after year in a field that offers little in return to the dedicated professional. -Nanci J Bradley

Opportunities for enjoying reading are everywhere. Here are just a few ideas to start:


  • Talk about the letters in their name

  • Notice the signs of their favorite places to visit

  • Fish for letters of the alphabet with magnetic fishing poles

  • Superman? Superman starts with an S like Snake, Sister, Sandwich S-S-S letter S! Let's fly!!

  • Make the letters of their names out of play-dough and let them smoosh it

  • Write their names on their pictures while saying the letters and sounds out loud

  • Give them colorful alphabet letter tiles for the bath.

  • Notice rhyming words and the opportunity to make rhymes anywhere you go.

  • Play "I" spy with consonant sounds while driving.



Getting Ready To Read


There's concern about reading scores in the US and the failure to teach phonics. Here's something positive we can do.


This Sesame Street video is awesome. It can get kids over the hump of sounding out words with jokes, fun, and songs. Watch it with them, and you'll get many new ideas of your own.




Kids should already be able to identify letters before watching Getting Ready to Read. There's also a Sesame Street video called Learning About Letters that can be helpful.


 Arthur's Reading Race

This game is fantastic when kids are ready to start putting words together. It's so much fun that even adults like to play. But let your kids experiment on their own. It's so much better that way.




Sign language is one way you can start communicating with your toddler before they can even talk. When you make a small donation to our nonprofit, you'll receive this presentation immediately so you can start learning right away.


Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you got some information that will be helpful to you!



Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY! She studied early childhood education at Triton College and received her BS in education from NIU in 1986. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.


 
 
 
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