From 18 to
26 months, toddlers develop mentally with such speed that sometimes we get lost on how to continue to stimulate them. I think what we need to keep in mind not to panic and that repetition for them is very important. It is good to start with songs and nursery rhymes.
Continue at least with the same ones. In the beginning, your baby will enjoy the melody and as he/she grows he will join in with the actions. It is good to reinforce the songs and nursery rhymes with pictures. By just over 2 years they will show definite interest in the books and sound some of the words. All of this is great for reading and language development.
As your baby grows and begins to manipulate puzzles, you can develop their logical skill while repeating the bedtime stories. There are so many puzzles out there, you might as well choose one that best suites your personal experiences like nursery rhymes or bedtime stories. You can build the puzzle and talk about the story by asking questions. You can even try to make strange events happening making the story funny and eliciting your child to use their imagination.
But do by all means, keep children interested in books – they are the basis of word building and hearing the melodies sentences make. It will create a good base to help them throughout Preschool and first years of school. Start from the very beginning I always say! 