Hello Parents,

I recently read an article by "I Can Teach My Child" and have simply summarized some of the points, using my own words. It is an excellent article and you are invited to check it out at the link at the end.

Plus a coloring page, subscriber submitted photos, and the announcement of our WINNER of a free book this month! Check it out…

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Even when a child is a newborn, playing music, singing to them, play, and reading aloud are important ways to bond and introduce them to their world. You aren't teaching them to read at this point, but you are certainly giving them a love for reading. Stories are powerful. And, this love will go far when education begins in earnest. The best books will teach them great character qualities as well. That is one of the goals of my early chapter book series: Bandana Acres.

Try to read to your kids about 20 minutes a day. As they get older, they may be able to listen even longer. Bedtime stories are the best! Up until about 10 years old, my kids loved my reading to them anytime, but the bedtime story was never forgotten. Then, they started reading for themselves and still read regularly as adults.

Here are some suggestions for what to read to certain ages. But, read anything they enjoy!

Birth - 1 year: Lullabies, board books (real pictures), cloth books (with textures), and song books

1-3 years: Rhyming books, song books, short story board books
3-5 years: Alphabet books, song books, picture books, rhyming books

5-8 years: Non-fiction and fiction picture books, rhyming books, early chapter books (with illustrations), chapter books (fewer illustrations)

GIVE YOUR KIDS A BOOST WITH THESE 9 TIPS:

1. When you're reading aloud, ask questions like "Do you see the dog?" Comprehension is much more important than learning to sound out or decode words. Your questions will developtheir vocabulary as well as cause interaction with the book. As they get older, ask them to point out things themselves and add appropriate noises to the story too. (i.e. sounds of animals)

2. Between the ages of 2-3 years, start asking questions before, during, and after reading the book. Ask them if they can tell what might happen when you point to the cover image or other illustrations. If the image is emotionally- charged, ask if they can tell what the character might be feeling. Even ask if they've ever felt that way too. Then, read the story to see if they were right! Finally, ask them if they remember what happened in the book. This really helps develop understanding.

3. Read for yourself! When your kids, especially active boys, see you reading, they are more likely to read too. It doesn't matter what you read. It can be a cookbook, your Bible, or a car magazine. Just let them see you read for a few minutes a day.

4. Find letters and words in the real world. Look together for letters and words in the store, on signs, at the library, at school, in restaurants, in homework, on toys, in the kitchen, on clothes. Anywhere! Post their name on a plaque or the wall, using words as artwork or decor.

5. Get crafty. Ages 2-4 love this. Utilize as many senses as possible with letters. Write them in sand, pudding, or finger-paints. Decorate letter shapes withrice, beans, noodles, or paint, glitter, or sequins. Hands-on learning increases retention. When crafting, talk about the letter's sound, rather than its name. Sounds are much more important to understand than names.

6. Play games: A version of BINGO where the card has letters or words in the squares, is a fun, interactive way to learn. There are lots of words games to be found. For older kids (around 7), you can even have easy word search puzzles.

7. Talk about different types of books. Ages 5-8 will begin to learn the difference between non-fiction (true stories such as a book about reptiles), and fantasy. And, they will learn to discern the difference between complete fantasy and fiction that isn't true, but could be because of the believability of the characters and their actions. Start sorting books by genres (types) so they will understand these variations.

8. Word family games are a lot of fun and they introduce decoding to your child.
   CAT, PAT, BAT, MAT, SAT, etc. Ask them so sound them out.

9. Of course, not all words will be phonetically sounded out. There are those pesky "sight" words. Creatively post sight words around so they will be memorized. Just a few words at a time will do. You can Google "sight words" and get tons of information and materials to help.

Click HERE to go to I Can Teach My Child website, the inspiration for this post.

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This month, Mary Anne has won a free hardback copy of Hootin Goes Outside!, the fourth book in the Bandana Acres series. CONGRATULATIONS Mary Anne! Next month, we hope to have a photo to share from her.

Chickadee Words would like to continue to offer a free book each month. Please spread the word…

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