|
Return to
Activities Index
Return to RWN index
Babies love to listen to the human voice. What better way than
through reading! What you'll need: Some books written especially for babies (books made of cardboard or cloth with flaps to lift and holes to peek through). What to do:
As you read to your baby, your child is forming an association between
books and what is most loved--your voice and closeness. Allowing babies
to handle books deepens their attachment even more. |
Back to Contents
Return to Activities Index
What's "old hat" to you can be new and exciting to
toddlers and preschoolers. When you talk about everyday experiences, you
help children connect their world to language and enable them to go beyond
that world to new ideas. What you'll need: Yourself and your child What to do:
Talking enables children to expand their vocabulary and understanding
of the world. The ability to carry on a conversation is important for reading
development. Remember, it is better to talk too much rather than too little
with a small child. |
Back to Contents
Return to Activities Index
Repetition makes books predictable, and young readers love knowing
what comes next. What you'll need:
What to do:
(Wolf voice:) (Little pig:) (Wolf voice:) After the wolf has blown down the first pig's house, your child will
soon join in with the refrain.
When children anticipate what's coming next in a story or poem, they
have a sense of master over books. When children feel power, they have
the courage to try. Pretending to read is an important step in the process
of learning to read. |
Back to Contents
Return to Activities Index
When children act out a good poem, they love its rhyme, its rhythm,
and the pictures it paints with a few well-chosen words. They grow as readers
by connecting feelings with the written word. What you'll need: Poems that rhyme, tell a story, and/or are written from a child's point of view. What to do:
Poems are often short with lots of white space on the page. This
makes them manageable for new readers and helps to build their confidence.
|
Back to Contents
Return to Activities Index
Talking about what you read is another way to help children develop
language and thinking skills. You don't need to plan the talk, discuss
every story, or expect an answer. What you'll need: Storybooks What to do:
|
Back to Contents
Return to Activities Index
Children are great mimics. When you tell stories, your child
will begin to tell stories, too. What you'll need: Your imagination What to do:
Having a good audience is very helpful for a child to improve language skills, as well as confidence in speaking. Parents can be the best audience a child will ever have. |
Back to Contents
Return to Activities Index
Television can be a great tool for education. The keys to successful
TV viewing are setting limits, making good choices, taking time to watch
together, discussing what you view, and encouraging follow-up reading.
What you'll need: A weekly TV schedule What to do:
Many experts recommend that children watch no more than 10 hours of TV each week. Limiting TV viewing frees up time for reading and writing activities. It is worth noting that captioned TV shows can be especially helful
with children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, studying English as a second
language, or having difficulty learning to read. |
Back to Contents
Return to Activities Index