Learning to Read Milestones: 

Imitates the sounds you make and copies your actions
Increases vocabulary from few to about 250 words
Requests favorite books
Learns how to hold a book and turn pages
Pretends to read

Fun Activities:

Drawing and making marks on paper are the first steps to learning to write. Have big crayons and paper handy at home and in the car. When your child draws a something, ask them questions about it so they practice using words and begin telling stories.

Singing is fun and a great way to pass the time when you’re in the car. Borrow CDs of kids’ songs from the library and sing every day!

Stack blocks, use playdough, and play other games that develop hand strength and fine motor skills. This helps with writing later on.

Snuggle together and read at bedtime and at other times during the day. If your child isn’t interested at that moment, try again another time. Even 5 minutes of reading aloud helps build early reading skills.

Talk about the pictures in the books you share. Ask questions, wait for your child to answer, and add to what they say: “You see a ball? Yes! That’s a round red ball.” This helps build vocabulary and language skills.

Watch short videos to learn fun songs and rhymes for your toddler, including some in Spanish, and how they help build readers, at www.storyblocks.org/. Click on Toddlers.