I love sharing my love of books with my little one. I love being able to find books that she loves. I even love her favourite book. Most of the time. My toddler has been obsessed with owls since she was a year old (thanks to an IKEA Owl Puppet) and so we bought Knight Owl by Christopher Denise… and we have read it every night without fail since March 12 of this year. Sometimes multiple times a night. She can fill in any blanks you leave. I can recite the book by memory. She even gets upset if I don’t voice the characters correctly or if the dragon is too scary!
Even though I’m bored stiff, I have to remind myself that this is completely developmentally normal. (Cheers to all the parents out there going through the same!) I’m the type of person that likes to have a list of reminders to reflect on, so here are the reasons your toddler might be fixated on the same book:
- Repetition helps encode information
- Repetition allows children to engage more fully and therefore process words more effectively
- Storybooks contain 50% more rare words than prime-time TV; so repetition is key
- Toddlers want control and choosing that book gives them that control
- They’ve associated reading with bonding time to you!
And honestly, that last point is my favourite. At two and a half, she no longer truly needs me but the fact that she chooses reading as special quality time with her parents is the best and we plan on cherishing it for as long as we can.
In the meantime, if you’re a parent looking for a break from the repetition SDG Library has tons of interactive picture books to break up the boredom. Check out our staff list for great recommendations!
And if you just need someone else to take care of storytimes, check out SDG Library's ever-expanding list of storytimes here. We'll see you soon!
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