Since Dallin was two months old we have taken a weekly trip to the library. I am so grateful for the programs our local libraries put on. I enjoy the time at the library as much as the kids do.
The past few weeks there has been a Thursday night program at our library where they have had a workshop with Parents and children called "Every child ready to read" Teaching Parents that early literacy begins with you and how we can help our kids.
I have really enjoyed the workshops and at the end of each session you receive a new(free) book.
So, far i have been to four classes. Here are some fun tips that i will pass along that we have enjoyed learning:
- Phonological Awareness - Being able to hear the sounds that make up words helps children sound out written words as they begin to read. The kids have enjoyed learning to clap the number of syllables in words. Play word games. You can say nursery rhymes so that your child hears the words that rhyme. Singing songs is a good way to help your child hear syllables. And Dallin has loved making up his own silly rhymes. He's really good at it :)
The book the kids received to practice the skill of rhyming was
"LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA" It's a fun book to read at bed time.
2. Vocabulary -The more words children hear and understand, the more ready they will be to read on their own. Books offer vocabulary that conversation, t.v and computer games do not. The tips given were to find new words in books that your child does not know and explain the meanings. Talk to your child a lot! Read to your child everyday. Talk and repeat. Learn new ways to describe things.
The book given "The very hungry caterpillar" This book definitely encourages your kids to be involved and talk about what they are seeing.
3. Narrative Skills - This workshop was my favorite! Narrative skills are the expressive part of language, being able to describe things, to tell what happened, to retell stories. This skill helps children later understand what they read. Tips - have patience, pause for response, ask questions. Tell family stories, encourage your child to tell stories using puppets, dolls or animals. We were given a little notebook to have the children draw a story. Dallin started with a picture of a dog, then I asked him "what does a dog like to do, eat etc?" He did great drawing a story. The kids were also read a simple story that they could retell. My kids love to talk, so this skill has been great to encourage in a productive way :)
Book: "What do you do with a tail like this"
4. Print Awareness - Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful. Tips - point to words, show children that print is all around us, let kids turn pages, have kids scribble, draw and write.
Book: "Good Night Gorilla" You can easily point to repeated words with this book. Teaching them to recognize the same print.
So, i know this is a long post but for some of you who have not been able to attend this workshop this is a summary that you might find helpful. My kids have done great with learning these skills and it has definitely taught me a lot.
(reading books with Daddy - Penny dressed up as a princess fairy)
