Early Learning Begins at Birth! - Get Ready to Read!

Ready to Read...  Tip of the Week
 

	Run your finger under the words of the title as you say it. This helps your child understand that you are reading text, not the pictures. Do this only with the title or repeated phrase, so it doesn't get in the way of sharing the story.
	You can help your children see the relationship between the written and spoken word by using what is called environmental print, or words that a part of everyday life, like signs and labels. This is part of print awareness.
	Hold a book upside down or backwards. See if your child notices this. If not, point it out. Children need to know how to hold a book, which is the cover, which is the back of the book. This is a fun way to find out if they know this.
	Acting out stories or parts of them helps your child internalize and understand what is happening in the story. They will be able to retell their favorite story back to you.
	Practice telling and retelling stories with your child. Talk about the movies and television shows that you watch together. This will help them learn to talk about books.
	Children enjoy talking about what they read. It is a good way to engage them in conversation, and for them to remember the story they have read. The ability to retell a story is an important skill to learn before going to school.
	When you ask your child questions, give them extra time to think and to answer you. Talking back and forth uses four different parts of the brain, so it takes them some time to form their responses.
	Young children have short attention spans and enjoy repeating favorite activities. Parents and caregivers can share these activities often for short amounts of time during the day.
	Let children see reading is fun. The more pleasurable book sharing is, the more regular and frequent an activity it will become.
	Early Literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read or write.
	Babies are drawn to people's faces. Show your baby photographs of people in your family and make your own book of these to share with your child.
	Helping babies and toddlers learn about different shapes and understand how things are alike and different will help prepare them to learn the alphabet.
	By using specific names for things like dog and puppy, you not only help your child learn new words, you also help them understand differences between similar things.
	Children who are read to from an early age have a larger vocabulary and better language skills when they start school.
	Reading with your baby EVERY day is important, even for just a few minutes a day.
	When you share a book with a baby, point to the pictures and talk in your most natural and cheerful voice.
	Hearing words that rhyme helps your child learn that words are made of smaller parts.
	Help your child write and read his/her name and other familiar words using magnetic letters, crayons or pencil and paper.
	Parents/caregivers can point out and name letters in alphabet books, picture books or on signs and labels.
	Say nursery and other rhymes with your child to increase his/her ability to hear the smaller sounds in words.
	Ask your child to take turns with you telling about the pages of a picture book that he/she knows well.
	Share books/read with your child often. Books expose children to things outside their familiar environment.
	Help your child get ready to read – sing, play music, do fingerplays, say nursery rhymes.
	Ask your child questions about the pictures; questions s/he must answer with more speaking than pointing.
	Make the book sharing experience a positive interaction; if it is not, try another time.
	When reading together, parent/caregiver should ask "what" questions and then open-ended questions to expand language.
	Encourage narrative skills by encouraging children to recount events in order, for example, what happened on a trip to McDonald’s.
	If a book has a word or phrase that repeats, point to it on the page and let the child say it.
	Children hear more new words when you read books. The more words children hear, the more ready they will be to read.
	Children must be familiar with how books work. Books have a cover, you begin reading at the top of the page and from left to right (in English), books have words and pictures to tell the story.
	Vocabulary is knowing the names of things. Children need to know the meaning of words to understand what they are reading.
	Songs can help children hear and play with the sounds in words.
	Songs have a different note for each syllable, this helps children break down words into smaller sounds.
	Finger plays help your child hear the smaller sounds in words.
	Being able to hear the beginning and ending sounds that make up words will help children sound out words when they begin to read.
	Children who enjoy books and reading will be curious about how to read.
	Showing children letters based on subjects they like follows the child’s interest.
	Once children are familiar with a story, let them tell you what happens. This improves their narrative skills.
	Reading alphabet books with a story is one way to expose children to letters.
	Talking to your child is critical to language development. Children who are spoken to from birth know more words.
	If reading and sharing books are not fun for children, they will we less likely to choose to read
	Rhyming is one way children learn to hear the smaller parts of words. This helps them sound out words when learning to read.
	Songs help children hear words broken down into syllables. This skill helps them with reading.
	Help your child get ready to read – Sing, play music, do fingerplays, say nursery rhymes