Is it too late to start reading a bed time story to my 14 month old son? How do I get him to sit still?

Question

My son doesnt sit still for more than 3 - 4 seconds so how do I make him listen when I read to him?

Answer 1

It's never too late to start reading to a child. Pick a book with lots of cool pictures and, as you read, let him look with you. You can even point out things in the pictures whether or not they relate directly to the story. Get him involved!

Answer 2

No. It's never too late to start reading to your child. My oldest child loved to read from the start and had a long attention span. My youngest, however, is a different story. He sounds alot like your child. Reading is a part of our daily routine, but I have to use a different approach with my younger son. I use board books so that he can hold the book and turn the pages himself. This seems to hold his attention for longer. I've also found that if I just pile some books on the floor with some of his favorite toys, he will eventually get around to the books on his own and bring them to me to read. The most important thing to remember is not to make a big deal about it, because if you push too hard, you could have the opposite effect of what you want. He may hate reading.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Its never too late to start reading to your child.

My daughter used to love for me to read to her. Now she won't sit still either. So I just read out loud while she's playing. Eventually, she makes her way over to see what Mommy is so excited about. I read very animatedly.

Also, try letting him read to you. Let him pick the book and then let him turn the pages and describe the pictures on each page. Don't worry if he skips pages. I usually do it right before bedtime when she's a little more tired.

BTW, if you're just worried about increasing his vocabulary... You can do that by talking all the time. I used to talk and describe what I was doing as I combed my hair, cooked dinner or washed clothes. Kids love that stuff and they're learning at the same time.

Answer 4

No, it's never too late. Sometimes, what worked for my kids was to have a bedtime routine. We would have a bath, then sit on the bed and talk. And yes, the little ones would move, crawl and scamper all over the place, but I would take out the book, and start reading aloud, softly, and say things like "look at this picture". Eventually they would come over and lean on me, or climb onto my lap, and we would continue from there. Having one of their stuffed animals on my lap and showing THEM the pictures seemed to work too.
Good luck, and good for you for caring enough about you son to try new stuff.

Answer 5

Pick short books with lots of pictures. Do it when he is drinking his bedtime bottle or eating a bedtime snack so he will be sitting still. Also, there are some books with different textures he can touch (furry things, sandpaper, etc...)

That is a hard age since they are in perpetual motion, but it you start now, you will get the routine going and it will continue and he will start looking forward to it.

And the squirmy-ness does not last forever! My daughter is 5 and we have read to her every night for her entire life, but when she was 12-15 months old, she would not sit still either. Just start it and keep it going.

Answer 6

Don't make him sit still, he'll associate reading with something he doesn't like (sitting still) Just ask him if he wants a story, if he doesn't, then don't. In time he will probably be curious and want to sit long enough to hear it.
Let him pick out a new book at the store. Instead of toys on car trips, give him books.

Answer 7

Some children's books have a physical element to them. The story has the children get involved physically. One that I can think of is Eric Carle's From Head to Toe. It asks questions like "Can you stretch your neck like a giraffe?" Then the child can try stretching. Since he likes using his body, he may enjoy trying to imitate these things--especially if you do them with him. Your local library may be able to help you find books like this.

Your child is so young (I got a kick out of the person who misread your question and thinks your child is 14 years old!) and he is at a stage where they are so focused on what they can do with their new physical abilities--walking and so on. Small children like this tend to focus one mastering one or two skills and are not always interested in dividing their attention.

Don't get discouraged. Just keep your own interest in books going. Have them around. Encourage him to look at the pictures. Talk about the pictures.

We've made story time a snuggling time at our house and that helps. Perhaps try reading when he's at a low-energy point int he day--nap time or just after a warm bath and a snack.

I hope these ideas help.

Answer 8

First, get a board book, so if he eats it or trys to rip it, nothing will happen. Then make sure it has less than 10 words per page. Point to the page as your read, and try to ask him questions about the book. "Do you see the cow? Can you point to a banana? Where is the baby?" And if I may suggest, letting them turn pages can backfire. He'll want to turn mid sentence, but it could lead to more interest. Just keep the book really short and kid proof. As he ages, he'll get better at sitting for longer.

Answer 9

Start out just reading a few pages at a time, even if he seems to not be paying attention. His natural curiosity will take over soon and he will come over to look and listen (especially if you make it sound interesting). Then you can gradually start to read more and more. And then you can start naming objects, that will definitely help hold his attention (at least it did with my son!) Now my son will bring a book over and say " Read a book, Mommy!" He loves it!

Answer 10

I wouldn't make him sit and listen, there's no point if he doesn't want to. My daughter used to bring me books, and only sit for a few seconds also, then she just got to an age where she wanted to sit and actually listen and read the book. You can try every once in awhile just to see if he's interested, but don't force him to sit. He'll probably get to a point where he'll want to on his own. Just keep the books available to him so he can look at them on his own if he wants.