Since you can’t always drop what you’re doing every time your enthusiastic young reader feels like opening a book, help your child find another audience. If an older child in unavailable, suggest that a few, favorite dolls or soft-toy animals listen to your child read instead.
Seat this quiet audience at the foot of your child’s bed or reading chair. Or if a soft-toy animal is large enough, your child might enjoy sitting on its lap. When the reading gets under way, slip out of the room and go back to what you were doing.
Dolls and animals may like to join your regular read-aloud sessions. Bunnies will be all ears when you read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and no teddy bear will want to miss an episode in the ‘Little Bear’ series. When you can, find the appropriate animal doll. Following the reading, you might help the ‘guest expert’ answer all your child’s questions.