Babies Love to Look at Other Babies!
Posted by: Carol on: June 14, 2010
Studies have shown that babies love to look at photos of other babies. Next time you’re at the library, look for boardbooks with pictures of babies in them (even animal babies).
Babies also love looking at pictures of things found in their everyday schedules & animals. Here are some additional possibilities:
Talking to your baby while you look at books increases your child’s vocabulary and also creates an opportunity for you to help your child feel loved and special. If your child loses interest or is tired and grumpy, save sharing books for another time. By being sensitive to your child’s needs, you help make sharing books something that your child will want to do often.
Selecting Board Books for Newborns
Posted by: Carol on: February 22, 2010
Developing a love of books and reading begins at birth. But selecting the appropriate book is important. Newborn vision isn’t 20/20. It takes an infant a little while to get the eyes to focus well and coordinate with each other. That doesn’t mean that you can’t share books with your little one however. High contrast board books with clear edges and sharp contrasting colors work exceptionally well for newborns. Below are a couple of good examples:
Rhyming Dust Bunnies
Posted by: Carol on: December 21, 2009
One of my new favorite authors for young children is Jan Thomas. Her books are fun to read, the illustrations are colorful and kids love listening to them! The Doghouse and Can You Make a Scary Face? are both great selections to read to your child but if you’re looking for a book that encourages your child to rhyme with the story, you’ve absolutely got to read Rhyming Dust Bunnies! In fact, this book is so much fun, I encourage you to put your dust rag away, grab your little one and read this book as soon as you can!
Ever Wonder if Your Child is Dyslexic?
Posted by: Carol on: September 18, 2009
As parents we are constantly observing the changes and development in our children. Sometimes, we see little “signs” that make us worry. 
If you’re concerned that your child may be dyslexic, Reading Rockets and LD Online have suggested these signs to look for in your preschooler that may indicate the need to seek professional intervention for your child:
1. May talk later than most children.
2. May have difficulty pronouincing words.
3. May be slow to add new vocabulary words.
4. May be unable to recall the right word.
5. May have difficulty with rhyming.
6. May have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors or shapes.
7. May have trouble learning how to write his or her name.
8. May be unable to follow multi-step directions or rountines.
9. May have difficulty telling and/or retelling a story in the correct sequence.
For more information on common signs of dyslexia go to LDOnLine.org. LD OnLine is a great website that discusses learning disabilities and ADHD.
Great New Read for Phonological Awareness
Posted by: Carol on: September 8, 2009
Written by Eve B. Feldman and Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning (can this name be real?!), you won’t want to miss out on Billy & Milly Short & Silly, a picture book with 13 very, very short “stories” that rhyme throughout the book.
This picture book is also great for little ones to narrate and tell you what’s happening — in other words, it’s a great choice to help your child develop Narrative Skills too. A Double Whammy! Enjoy!
Great Books for Toddlers
Posted by: Carol on: September 8, 2009
- In: Booklists | Toddlers
- Leave a Comment
Now that your child is walking and seems to be in to EVERYTHING, what are some great books to capture his/her attention? Here are 5 titles that just might get your very active little one to enjoy a moment in your lap that you may not be aware of.
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
The Wide Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner
Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli
Book! by Kristine O’Connell George
The Wheels on the Bus by Ann Owen
Great Books for Babies
Posted by: Carol on: August 28, 2009
Whether you’re purchasing these titles for your home library or checking them out at your local library, these books are highly recommended for little ones:
1. Peek a Boo Books such as Peek-a-Moo!, Peek-a-Zoo!, Peek-a-Boo! or Peek-a-Choo-Choo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti
2. Board books by Karen Katz: Counting Kisses, Where is Baby’s Belly Button, Toes Ears & Nose
3. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
4. Hooray for Fish & other books by Lucy Cousins
5. Moo, Baa, La La La! & other books by Sandra Boynton
6. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
7. Books by Annie Kubler such as Itsy, Bitsy Spider
8. Global Babies by The Global Fund for Children
9. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
10. I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy
Reading Books with Very Young Children
Posted by: Carol on: August 28, 2009
No child is too young to be read to and studies have shown the importance of reading books with your children. However, there are some basic tips and reminders to keep in mind when reading with your child.
My top ten tips are:
1. Always make sure that you and your child are enjoying your reading time together. If your child is tired or fussy, choose another time to read. Reading together should always be a fun time to enjoy each other and books.
2. Reading books with your child shouldn’t just be at bedtime. Bedtime reading is great but if that’s the only time your child is read to, they may begin to see reading in a negative light especially if they’re not that anxious to go to sleep.
3. Let your child pick the stories/books whenever possible.
4. Don’t feel that you have to read every word in every book. In fact, try letting your child tell you the story as you look at the illustrations.
5. Children love repetition and favorite stories. Please indulge your child when they want their favorite book read again and again.
6. If you are having trouble finding good books to read with your child, ask your local librarian for suggestions.
7. Take advantage of your library’s storytime. Watching how the librarian does storytime will give you ideas how to make reading at home even better.
8. Don’t forget to sing songs and do fingerplays with your child throughout the day.
9. Talk to your child about everything. It’s the best way to build his/her vocabulary.
10. Let your child handle and play with books.
My children’s favorite book when they were little was Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins. Eventually, my husband and I could “read” the book by heart while our children enjoyed its catchy rhythm and crazy monkeys. Try it at your house!
Dialogic Reading — The Best Way to Read to Your Child
Posted by: Carol on: August 12, 2009
What is dialogic reading?
Children learn more from books when they are actively involved in the process. One way to involve your child when you are reading books together is to use a method of reading called Dialogic Reading. Traditionally, we tend to read a story from beginning to end without any pauses in between. With Dialogic Reading you are have a conversation about the story as you read it together.
Dialogic Reading is based upon 3 main techniques:
1. Asking “what” questions.
Example: “What is this?” Your child may answer, “A snake.”
2. Asking open-ended questions.
Example: ”What do you think the snake will do?”
3. Expanding upon what your child says.
Example: Your child responds, “Wiggle.” “Yes, the green snake is slithering through the grass.”
This style of reading has been proven to help children develop their language and narrative skills and is most effective when a child has at least 50 words of expressive vocabulary. A child is usually ready for this style of reading by their 2nd birthday.
What kind of books work best for Dialogic Reading?
— Books that have a simple story
— Books that have clear pictures
— Are not too long
— Have pictures about things that are familiar to your child
— Show action and detail in the pictures
— Are interesting to your child
Additional Tips:
Make sure that reading with your child is always a fun experience. Remember to:
1. Always be sensitive to your child’s interest when reading books together.
2. Mix straight reading with dialogic reading. You don’t need to do dialogic reading with every book you share with your child.
3. Mix up the type of questions you ask.
Once Upon a Time…Narrative Skills
Posted by: Carol on: July 6, 2009
Narrative Skills is the last Early Literacy Skill that children need to have to be able to read. An example of a narrative skill is a child’s ability to understand and tell a story such as what happened at a birthday party or on a trip to the zoo. To help your child develop this important skill, ask your child to retell the story after you read to them. Classic stories and fairytales are a great way to develop this skill.
Watch this 4 year old retell the story of the 3 Little Pigs:
Another way that you can encourage your child is to have your child describe or tell you about things he or she has done that have a regular sequence to them. Good books that help develop narrative skills are: Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins. Also look for class stories retold by Paul Galdone.
Another great way to encourage your child to “tell tales” is to pick up some wordless books at the library and let your child make up the story to go along with the illustrations. Here’s a list of wordless picture books for you to enjoy:
Wave by Suzy Lee The Crocodile Blues by Cole Polhemus The Surprise by Sylvia Van Ommen
Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug by Mark Newgarden
Un-brella by Scott E. Franson
The Flower Man by Mark Ludy
Also check out these wordless books by Mercer Mayer:
A Boy, a Dog and a Frog
Frog, Where Are You?
Frog on his own A Boy, a Dog, a Frog and a Friend
One Frog Too Many
