Read With Your Baby

Being reading with your baby from the moment he is born. Ok, you probably aren't thinking about reading with your newborn while in the hospital. Just know, your baby is never to young for you to read to him/her. Your baby may not know what you are talking about but you are building a strong foundation. You are exposing your baby to vocabulary and building strong reading habits.

When you read with your child, talk about the pictures, photos, and story.

Read board books and nursery rhymes together.

Read a book without words and make up a story to go along with the pictures.

Act out a book with toys (puppets, dolls, stuffed animals)

Look at the cover and together predict what the story will be about. After reading the book, check to see if you were correct.

Attend a storytime activity at a bookstore, library, or other location.

Developing Writing Skills - the fine motor skill

This is not talking about your child's ability to express him/herself through writing. This is talking about your child's ability to pick up a pencil and form letters.

Writing is a fine motor skill. There are things you can to do help your child develop the fine motor skills he/she will need to be able to write one day.

As messy as this sound, allow your child to play with his/her fingers. For example, allow your child to draw pictures, play with, or write letters in the sand, with finger paint, or in shaving cream (pour some on the table and let him explore).

Knowing shapes helps children know how to write letters. Drawing circles and straight lines are used all the time in letters.

Make shapes with play dough. Talk about the different shapes.

As soon as a child can hold a pencil or crayon and put it to paper, allow him/her to do so (with parent supervision with the very young ones, of course). Discuss what they drew. Allow the child to tell you what he or she draw. Praise his/her efforts. Allow your child to be comfortable with writing, no matter how imperfectly he/she writes. Avoid discouraging him/her from writing by being critical of what they write or draw.

Go outside and allow your child to draw with sidewalk chalk.

Sing fingerplay songs with your child. Allow them to practice the best they know how. Songs like "Where is Thumbkin," "Five Little Monkeys," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Eensy, Weensy Spider."

Talk With/To Your Child

As you do things with your children, talk as much as you can. It does not matter how old they are. It does not matter if they can talk back. The more you talk, the more vocabulary your child hears. The more vocabulary that is introduced to your child, the more he/she will learn. So, when you go to the grocery store, talk to your child. When you go to the park, talk to your child. When you go for a walk, talk to your child. When you are driving in the car, talk to your child. When you are giving your child a bath, talk to your child. 

What do you talk about?

Talk about whatever you see. Talk about the trees, "Do you so those trees? Look how tall they are. They have green leaves on top. Do you see the trunk of the tree on the bottom? That part is brown. It feels rough when you feel it." Describe as much as you can. The more you say, the more they learn.

Talk to your child about the different kinds of jobs people have. Talk about how you are making dinner. Make up rhyming games together.

As your child grows up, you can ask him/her questions about the things you see; quizzing him/her on his/her knowledge. Instead of you doing all the talking, allow him/her to do what you used to do for him/her.

Allow your child to talk on the phone to familiar family members. Hearing their familiar voices helps them develop the skills they need for social interaction. As they listen to their voices they will respond by smiling, cooing, or talking back.

Show pictures of your child. Talk about the things that are in the picture. Talk about what happened during the event where the picture was taken. Discuss anything you can think of from the one photograph. Allow your child to talk about the picture as well (even if it is only cooing noises). Allow the picture to spark memories and then talk about them together.

Find things to sort together. Talk about how they can be sorted. Have your child describe the attributes he/she chose to sort into groups.

Look at a calendar and discuss the days of the week and the months of the year. Talk about what the child usually does on those days or during those months.

A parent talking and interacting with a child is far more beneficial than vocabulary that is gained through television. There are great shows out there that will definitely teach your child many things. However, there is no substitute for a parent taking an active role in a child's development.

There are so many other great arti

Read With Your Child

There are lots of things that you can do to help your child become a successful student. These tips may seem simple, but these simple tips can give your child the tools he/she needs to succeed in school. Just 20 minutes a day can make a lasting impact on your child.

Read 

Read age appropriate books to your child. Talk about the illustrations. The more you talk, the more vocabulary you are introducing to your child. As your child gets older, have him/her talk about the illustrations. 

Before reading a book, look at the cover and predict what the story is about (as your child grows older, he/she can predict). After reading the story, see if your guess was correct.

Read in a variety of places, in a homemade tent or fort, outside, on the couch, in your child's bedroom, or while waiting at the doctors.

As you read, give each character a different voice. Read books with a silly voice as you read to your child.

Read nursery rhymes with your child. Children who know 5 nursery rhymes by the time they are 4 grow up to be great readers. Sing songs and play games with nursery rhymes to help your child learn them.

As you read more familiar rhyming books to your child, pause at the end of sentences and allow your child to say the word.

Read a nonfiction book and discuss the illustrations.

Read a book without words and make up a story. As your child grows older, he/she can make up the story with you or instead of you. 

Act out a story with stuffed animals a puppets. As your child grows older, he/she can act out the stories with you (with or without the puppets).

As you read books, do things that are mentioned in the book. For example, eat cookies while reading, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" or eat fruit while eating "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

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Playtime

It is very important you allow your child lots of time to play, both indoors and outdoors. Playing is the "classroom" your child ever had. Playing allows children to apply what they know, use their knowledge, and interact with others. Limit the amount of technology your child uses to "play." It is important to exercise as much as it is important to learn. 

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