Enjoying Books Together

Daily Reading Is Extremely Important 

Experts agree that reading to your young children one or more times a day is extremely important.  It is an easy activity that begins soon after birth and continues through the school years.  Children who are read to on a daily basis will be ready to learn to read on their own, and they will develop a rich vocabulary, as well as, love books.  Listening to you read, discussing, and asking questions are the foundation for success in school.

  For the youngest children, read aloud any books with pictures that are cloth, plastic, or sturdy. As they develop they love a variety of colorful magazines and books that are fiction, nonfiction, and books with chapters.

Reading Tips

  During the day, at nap or bedtime, sit close with your children.  When possible, let them choose the books.  Often, children like to hear the same book over and over again.

   Talk about the cover. What is the title?  Who is the author?  Show how to hold the book and turn the pages as you go. Look at the pictures, guess what is going to happen, and talk 

Talk Together About What You Read

about the characters. Sometimes, point to the words as you read along. Encourage questions, and let your preschooler join in to say the fun parts or name things.

  When finished, talk together about the pictures you saw or about what happened in the story.  What is your favorite part?  Which pictures do you like best?  How do pictures and words get into a book?

Preschool Reading

  Teach preschoolers how to take care of books.  Have the books available in a special box for children to look at again on their own. Some children might like to draw or color their own picture from an idea from a book.  You could print a sentence for them at the bottom of their picture or label some of the parts.  Encourage your children to tell someone else about the story or book.

  Relatives who live far away will love 

Read Together via Face Time/Skype

reading a short book to young children on Face Time or Skype while showing them the pictures. Often older children clam up when Face Time is scheduled but enjoy practicing their reading to grandparents and other relatives. Reading out loud also makes a good short movie to show the progress children are making in school. It can be posted on a private family Facebook account.

   Children need to hear the sounds and patterns of our language and build a store of vocabulary words. They need to know that letters and words carry meaning, and that stories have a beginning, middle and end.  All this crucial learning can be obtained in a very natural pleasurable way when you enjoy picture books and stories together. 

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
For more go to wnmufm.org/LearningThroughtheSeasons podcast Tues & Thurs at 4:30 ET

Closing the 32 Million Word Gap

Talking, Explaining, Pointing Out - Increases Vocabulary

It is so exciting to hear children’s first words.  Did you know that how adults respond and build on early attempts at speech are two of the most important things to ensure children’s future success?
  Psychologists Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley found that children whose parents and caregivers are always talking with them, explaining, and pointing things out have a much greater vocabulary than children who do not get this experience. There can be an exposure gap of 32 million words between one preschool child and the child in the next chair by age four. The gap is significant since vocabulary growth is linked to school achievement.
 Vocabulary Hints
  What are some things that families and caregivers can do to build children’s vocabulary?  Talk your way through the precious time you have with children.  “Mommy is looking for her keys.  Let’s put on your shoes.  Let’s get into the car/bus.  We are going to the grocery store.  There’s a shopping cart.  Let’s pick out some oranges.”  Children will be more expressive, ask questions, and carry on a conversation if adults talk with them.
  Invite friends and family to go on an outing.  Three parents of toddlers were overheard in a park, pointing to a truck and conversing with their children.  “See the truck.  It’s a really big truck!  The truck is red.  The horn goes “toot-toot”.  The truck is moving away. The man on the truck is waving to you. Wave back.”
  Respond to toddlers’ directions. 

Respond to Todlers' Directions

If they want to walk to a tree, follow them there.  Try to understand what is capturing their interest.  If toddlers pick up a twig that has fallen off a tree and want to put it back, help them. This is a perfect opportunity for explaining what might have caused the twig to fall and to praise them for understanding that the twig was part of the tree.
  Toddlers may point to the full moon as it rises over grandpa’s house and say, “Hmm, hmm?”  It is a perfect time for grandpa to talk about the moon, the way it lights up the night, and to pull out the book,  “Good Night, Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown or make up a story.
Reading Builds Words
  

Stop and Point Out Objects, Characters, Illustrations...

Reading aloud to children is one of the most time-honored and effective ways of increasing vocabulary.  Stop to point out illustrations and talk about them.  Look for all the objects that are red or identify all the characters pictured on the page.  Ask questions about what may happen next in the story. Relate the story to events in children’s lives. “The story is about a butterfly.  Where did we see a butterfly?”
photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
 More Vocabulary Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’
website: Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Toddlers Are So Fun to Teach

Toddlers seem to grow and change daily

Toddlers ages 12-24 months seem to grow and change daily. They make great strides in every area of development.  It is an exciting time for families to share activities.  What are some of the milestones of this age and how can we encourage our toddlers along the way?
  One of the most noticeable changes is the increase in vocabulary and development.
They are learning new words daily.  They will begin by pointing to objects such as their favorite blanket.  Encourage your children to use words even if you know what they want.

They are learning new words daily

Add additional words of your own such as “You want your blanket. Daddy will get your blue blanket.”
  There’s nothing like reading with your toddlers to help increase vocabulary and understanding.  It’s also a great time to give your toddler some choices.  Do you want to read “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” or “Good Night, Moon”?  Do not give choices when they don’t exist.  For example, “It’s time for your bath.” rather than “Are you ready for your bath?” They may say,” No.”
  Your toddlers are learning about emotions by reading your face.  They respond to the expression on your face and the tone of your voice.  Feel free to be over expressive.  For example, “You found your teddy bear! Let me give you a big hug!” or  “Stop! We need to stop, look both ways, and listen before we cross the street.”   Toddlers are just beginning to recognize and manage their feelings.  They have a wide range of emotions and may respond with a tantrum when tired or frustrated.  The best way to prevent tantrums is to distract them by suggesting another activity or offering a source of comfort such as a teddy bear.
  Toddlers are beginning to understand imaginative play.  They may imitate what you are doing

Play is important...

in the kitchen or out in the garage.  Play kitchens or tool sets are good toy choices for this stage.  They may also use objects in different ways.  For example, a block might become a truck or a telephone.  Offer opportunities to   play with sand, water, and play dough as well as drawing materials. 
  Provide safe play areas in your home and yard where your toddlers can move around freely.  Take walks outdoors and visit parks and nature centers where you can explore the environment. Seek out

Visit parks and nature centers

playgrounds where your toddlers can interact with other children and adults.
 Enjoy this special time with your toddlers.  They are so open to learning, especially when it’s with the people they love most.  Talk, laugh, and move around together. Share the fun of learning! Take photos of block building, art, and other projects and send them to relatives.
photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos - sketch: Mark Nowicki 


More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Families Enlarge Children’s Vocabulary

Use descriptive words

Vocabulary building is another important area where extended families can help prepare young children to be readers and learners. All this starts when children are newborns.
Reading Based on Talking
  The first step is encouraging every member of the family to talk to babies with complete sentences while bathing, changing diapers, feeding, strolling, rocking, and holding. Singing counts, too. What do you talk about? Talk in a soothing voice about what you are doing and how much children are loved. Avoid baby language and high pitch.
   Scientists know that infants are listening and absorbing language. When these children are able to talk, large vocabularies and eventually complete correct sentences start pouring out of them. Many families just can’t believe what they are hearing.
  Parents and grandparents can talk to toddlers while they do every day activities and play.

Describe in a complete sentence

What should we have for dinner tonight in the food groups? Let’s sort the socks.
  Can you imagine an entire kindergarten of these young children who have been talked to constantly since birth and have had many varied experiences? What readers they will be!
Building a Large Vocabulary
   Reading is talking written down. Children must make a connection between what they sound out or recognize as a memorized word (sight word or red word) and all of the words they have stored in their brains. Children who have about 20,000 words stored will be ready.
  When families run out energy to carry on discussions, they can pick up a book and read together.  Books have a rich vocabulary unlike TV, DVD’s and most other technology entertainment. They use very few words repeatedly according to word counts in research. Children who use these technologies have a very limited vocabulary and often do not like to read. Child psychologists recommend controlled limited use of technology and no use under age two.
  Books help families use synonyms

Read books to build vocabulary

for nouns, adjectives, and adverbs to increase vocabulary. Synonyms are many words for the same idea. Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Adverbs can describe action words.  For example, in the phrase “good job”, “good” (the adjective) can be changed to exquisite, extraordinary, magnificent, remarkable, or outstanding. When young children start learning to read and create their own stories these words will be familiar and used.
   Books are rich in language that creates strong foundations for readers who will love to read on their own. There is no substitute for reading and talking to children known at this time. In general, the more a family talks and reads, the more likely children will be good readers and curious students. Grandparents can help exhausted parents create a reading and learning family climate. 

photos: Fran Darling fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Making Waterfalls -- Indoors

fdarling fotos How do families encourage children to become scientists? They do it by playing with science from a very early age and carrying on conversations. Science discovery takes very little time and can use materials around the house. Have fun making and discussing indoor waterfalls on a rainy day to help add to the three million words children need to hear before kindergarten according the Great Start. Materials: Water, chopping board, kitchen bowls and a colander. What to do: Explain that you're making indoor waterfalls before you go to see some real ones in your county. An easy definition is an area of a river or stream where the water flows fast over and around rocks or drops over a ledge. There are many kinds and they can be viewed on Google images. Explain that you need help finding things in the kitchen to make a tower and pour water over it like a waterfall. Look for non-breakable plates, bowls, cutting boards, and a colander used to drain vegetables or spaghetti. Experiment making the tallest tower. Start with a cake pan to catch the water. Then layer cutting boards, various sizes of upside down bowls, and plates. The flat materials will help prevent the towers from tipping, sometimes. Place a colander on top, if available. Now pour a pitcher of water gently over the tower. The most important part of the process is talking about how the bowls and plates slow down the water much like hard rocks slow down and divert water in a river. Place a sheet of rolled up paper towel between layers of the tower. Does it change the flow of water? Perhaps it does for a short time, but then it will crumble much like very soft sandstone will crumble after years of flow. Notice how the water flows over the cutting board like a ledge waterfall. These waterfalls can be created in the tub or sink indoors with warm water. They can be created outdoors on hot days with a hose or built at the beach. Some families like to add food coloring in different pitchers and let colors mix in the cake pan pool at the bottom. Others like to recycle the clean water in the cake pan pool and use the water to nourish plants after clean up. No matter what you decide to do, the most important part is conversation. Talk while planning the activity, gathering materials, trying different ways to make the tower, laughing when it falls and reconstructing. All this talking teaches social skills and dealing with emotions. Let the activity guide the quiet conversation. Photo: Fran Darling fdarling fotos More Ideas and Activities For more ways to encourage music and expend energy on long winter days see the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest.

Engage With Your Children and Grandchildren

Look at these highly engaged people. They are connecting to activities and information on personal devices, for sure. 
 But what is missing in these pictures? Of course, they are not engaging with each other. How many times to you see parents interacting with their children, only to suddenly break away to answer their cell phone. How many times is this interruption really necessary or even important?

What To Do?
Life has gotten very hectic with instant connections to friends, co-workers, Internet, games and videos. How can you manage all this and still make time with your children and grandchildren a priority? Here's an easy solution...turn off your phones or devices while engaging in activities. So many times children need our full attention and real one-to-one communication. One grandmother recently mentioned her annoyance at so many mothers who are loose these precious experiences through so many cell phone interruptions. Her solution? She requires her daughter to turn off devices when they are all together. 

Why This Is Important ?
Research supports talking directly to children to engage them in thoughtful conversation. Asking them critical questions is the way to develop language and vocabulary. What do you see? Then what happened? What kinds of colors? How many? 

The advantages of good pre-school education have been in the news recently. But it may be too late by then. Studies are finding that even by 18 months children listen and learn words. This is how brain development occurs. Without it, children rapidly fall behind those who have the advantage of hearing parents talk to them. 
The degree of child development dependents on strong communication for vocabulary development. Words that are spoken directly to your infants are what build vocabulary. This "processing" is what scientists think develops brain, intellect and learning. Merely, hearing words spoken on TV, video and radio does not have the same developmental effects.

Other Ideas
You don't need special times to talk to children. In fact, everyday situations: waking, dressing, eating, moving, playing are all great times for interacting through directly talking to children. And what about those electronic devices? Use them together. Share games and activities. Phones and other devices have all kinds of engaging media: pictures, sounds, apps, video. What ever you view, interact together with the media. They can be just another opportunity to help your children and grandchildren develop to fullest potential. You will also have lots more fun in the process, building strong bonds through many interesting experiences, as well as vocabulary.

More Ideas and Activities

For more ways to encourage music and expend energy on long winter days see the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site www.grandparentsteachtoo.org.

Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest.

Article: 
"In the Beginning Was the Word," Feb 22, 2014, The Economist http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21596923-how-babbling-babies-can-boost-their-brains-beginning-was-word 
Wikimedia Commons Photos by:
Ed Yourdon: http://www.flickr.com/photos/72098626@N00/3576388263
Ant McNeill http://www.flickr.com/photos/27361344@N08/4686147794 
Gleb Kotov http://RIA%20Novosti%20archive,%20image%20#916719%20/%20Gleb%20Kotov%20/%20CC-BY-SA%203.0 

Mixing Colors for Rainy Day Projects

 Rainy days can be fun too! Mixing two primary colors to make a secondary color helps young artists build vocabulary and skill creating designs. 

Materials:

  Plastic cloth, coffee filters, red, yellow, and blue food coloring, a small watercolor brush, clothespins (not the pinch kind) or thin wire, and a container of water, pipe cleaners (optional)

What to do:

  Cover the work area with the plastic cloth. Pick a color and paint on a coffee filter. Pick a second color and continue to paint on the coffee filter. Discuss what happens to the colors. Continue to experiment with a third color and discuss what happens. Take the opportunity to talk about “primary colors”(red, blue, yellow) and “secondary” (mixed colors). After painting on several coffee filters, let them air dry before proceeding.

  Once the filters are dry, choose one and scrunch the middle together and place it inside a clothespin or wire. Fan out the sides of the filter to make the wings of a butterfly.  Cut the pipe cleaner in half and wrap that around the knob of the clothespin for antennae. Use the other filters to make more butterflies.

Books to share:

 “Mouse Paint” by Ellen Stohl Walsh, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, “Charlie the Caterpillar” by Dom Deluise, and “Where Butterflies Grow” by Joanne Ryder.

Find more activities:

For more projects see the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” online information at 

http://www.grandparentsteachtoo.org/. Hear audio podcasts or our activities also online at WNMU Radio 90. 

Illustrations: Mark Nowicki