Enhancing Literacy through play!
With part of our focus on EDCUATION, we at Twin County United Way are once again leading a collaborative effort to help prepare high risk preschool children become ready for kindergarten. We do this by rallying our key partners in education & are currently planning our third Children's Project. This is a collaborative effort with a vision of ensuring that every child in the LC Valley is ready to be successful in kindergarten by developing ongoing strategies to keep them ahead of the curve. But we cannot do this alone. You as a parent, play a primary role in the success of this community wide vision by continually engaging in your child's education & development. By playing with your child, you can enhance their literacy at the earliest years of life.
For your child, every word he hears and repeats, every storybook, song and nursery rhyme become the building blocks of literacy.
When he draws, pretends to read or write or invents stories, play allows your child to build his literacy skills by experimenting with pictures and symbols he has seen.
We would like to share with you the following action items as avenues for enhancing literacy.
1. Reading
Babies:
Books are great first toys for babies. Begin with books that:
• Can be propped up for a baby to look at.
• Have pictures in bright contrasting colors.
• Are made of cardboard or cloth to withstand a little chewing and make page turning easier.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers:
Toddlers are just able to sit and listen to a complete story. Try books that:
• Have repetitious text about familiar objects.
• Involve activities such as counting, identifying colors, objects or letters.
• Are about subjects that interest the child.
• Deal with topics that relate to the child's life, such as toilet training or new siblings.
• Are interactive, such as having lifting flaps.
2. Writing:
Babies:
Even a baby can prepare for writing. Let her:
• Hold a rattle to develop grasping skills.
• Play with magnetic letters.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers:
To get her interested:
• Giver her safe writing props to incorporate into her play, like crayons, black paper, newspaper and construction paper, thick sticks of chalk and thick magic markers.
• Promote the development of her fine motor skills by letting him cut paper or trace letters.
• Allow her to draw freely and creatively.
3. Talking
Babies:
• Talk and read with him at every opportunity.
• Sing nursery rhymes and read books that play with word sounds.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers:
• Whether at the grocery store or at the park, point out objects, signs and people.
• Engage your child in conversation and ask a lot of questions.
• Play with words by making up funny names for people and objects. Making nonsense out of language helps children appreciate the rhythm and musicality of language.
• Play rhyming games with words.
4. Listening
Activities you can try with your child:
• A narrated version of hide-and-seek. When your child hides, you can "think aloud" about where she could be. "Where is Laura?" a parent might say. "Maybe she's in the refrigerator—did I put her next to the milk?" Such silly discussion within earshot of your hiding child will encourage her to listen as she waits to be found.
• Singing songs. Children love to listen to songs. Try adding new words to her favorite songs to pique her interest.
Taking the time to celebrate your family by engaging in the development of your children will result in lasting change for our community as a whole. Your Twin County United Way asks you to join us as we become engaged in celebrating the family for lasting change. We also invite you to find ways to GIVE, ADVOCATE, or VOLUNTEER. Visit us at www.tcuw.org for more information.
