A trusting relationship and plenty of playtime lay the foundation for successful readers.

 

All parents want their children to be successful in school and throughout life. While literacy, which begins with oral-language skills, is the foundation of that success, it’s equally important to remember that both language and literacy development grow out of the close relationships children have with significant others in their lives.

 

With so much national attention focused on improving academic performance, particularly for struggling readers, the role of social and emotional support — including the benefits of playtime — is often overlooked. Yet research consistently shows that a healthy ego and emotional security are essential to learning, and it’s the relationships with parents and caregivers — particularly in the first year of life — that foster trust, autonomy, and initiative as the child matures.

 

Children who have trusting, highly interactive relationships with their parents and caregivers display more active curiosity and initiate more learning opportunities. That interaction begins at birth; infants use their ability to interact for the purpose of sharing an experience. For example, if 8-month-old Jessie hears a loud noise outside the window, she looks at her father to see if he heard it and then looks toward the noise. She continues to gaze back and forth between the sound and her father, maybe adding vocalizations or gestures, until he responds. This is called joint-attention, and it sets the foundation for communicating with language later. Babies learn to talk in order to express their understanding of the world. Thus, early social-emotional development affects both the desire and the ability to communicate, use language meaningfully, and eventually develop literacy skills.

 

You’ve Got to Play to Learn

One of the best literacy-learning interactions for young children is to play with them. Playing with young children not only strengthens your relationship with them, it encourages them to reflect on their own experiences through dramatization and provides an opportunity for oral language development. Parents can help enrich play by making sure children have the time they need to do it: enough time to plan out what they want to play and to essentially create a “script” (Will it be a doctor’s office, grocery store, or book store?) and some props (such as canned foods and boxes for a grocery store). Getting involved in the play adds to the fun — and the parent becomes a source of new activities, vocabulary, and rules.

It might seem obvious that children’s exposure to and interest in reading are influenced by the adults who care for them, but children who see that literacy is a source of enjoyment are more motivated to learn to read despite any difficulties they may encounter. So here are some things you can do to foster a love of words — and reinforce the nurturing relationship you already have.

 

• Read together as a family often. Read a wide variety of materials and remember to keep the tone and any ensuing discussions as warm, positive, and playful as possible.

• Encourage your children to use literacy in meaningful and purposeful ways. Invite them to help make shopping lists, read signs, draw, and write thank-you notes.

 

 

How to tell if your child is developing on schedule or if there might be a problem.

 

There is a wide range of speech and language development that is considered normal. Early or later speech within that range is not linked to intelligence or reading ability. However, you should expect to see the following in your child:

• 18 months: Use of single words and phrases such as “bye-bye;” use of nouns, verbs, and gestures, alone or in combination, to convey meaning; ability to follow simple instructions.

• 24 months: Use of two- and three-word phrases; increased understanding of what others are saying.

• 30 months: Use of plural nouns and sentences that contain negatives; asks what and where questions; names and understands a color or two.

• 36 months: Knows a familiar tune or song; asks why and who questions; understands “under,” “behind,” and “on”; can designate the actions associated with objects in pictures.

 

Delayed Speech

Speech can be delayed for a number of reasons. However, it is essential to check out possible medical reasons, including impairments to a child’s hearing, ability to coordinate the muscles in the tongue, lips, and mouth, or to process language properly. Some auditory problems can be greatly relieved if treated early enough. Once medical problems have been ruled out, other reasons for delayed speech include:

• Preference for gestural language. Over-attentive parenting can make it less necessary for a child to speak since the parent is talking for everyone. Refusal to speak can also be a form of negativism. So stand back a bit to encourage the little guy to work with words to let you know what he means and wants.

• Bilingual households. Children raised with more than one language can often take up to an extra year to start speaking as they grapple with the sounds and vocabulary of two tongues. But they will typically speak both languages fluently when they finally do start talking — a nice reward for the wait!

 

Speech Impairments

As to speech impairments, it’s important to distinguish trial-and-error mistakes from real problems. It is perfectly normal for children to stutter or stammer, or to get syllables or sounds reversed as they are mastering language. However, you should consider a professional evaluation if these problems persist or if you see difficulties in any of the following areas:

• Sound quality (such as high pitch, excessive nasal quality, or shrill sound)

• Conversation (an inability to follow and respond to another or to take turns in communicating)

• Meaning (excessive repetition of words with no context or no communicative purpose or intent)

• Responsiveness (regularly under- or over-reacting when spoken to)

Speech therapy is increasingly used. Being on the safe side is generally a good idea. But in today’s push to accelerated learning, I have some concern that children who are otherwise developing just fine are being plucked form the playroom and put in a therapist’s office with questionable net gain.

 

Around the time your toddler reaches 18 months of age, you’re in for a treat he’ll begin learning words at an astonishing rate.

 

Development rates vary, of course, but generally a language explosion occurs around 18 months. At that time, most children start adding new words at an incredible rate, giving them a vocabulary of 1,000 to 2,000 words by the time they are two. At 18 months they also are likely to combine words into short phrases — “want juice,” “no sleep,” “go bye-bye.”

 

Grammar
Grammar, too, is rapidly acquired. Our brains seem to be naturally prone to, and capable of, the grammar and the organization that makes language work. By 24 and 30 months, children have a basic sense of their language’s internal structure or grammar, usually placing pronouns, nouns, and verbs in the right order.

 

Kinds of Words
As vocabulary expands to include verbs and adjectives as well as nouns, language moves from naming objects into describing what they do and how they do it. This, in turn, sets the stage for using words in place of the objects they name. This is a very important development because it is the cornerstone of judgment, reasoning, managing impulses, and inhibiting action. Armed with the right words, a child who doesn’t like big dogs needs only to be told that there is a “big dog” in the backyard at a neighbor’s house to understand what awaits him should he venture out the back door.

 

All this makes it clear that the more a child wants to convey about his experience, the sooner his speech will develop. The urgency of first words is directly related to the tension created in the child over being understood. It literally feels good in one’s mind and body to be understood, not simply in one’s ears.

 

Even as adults we will talk “until blue in the face,” referring to our failure to stop and breathe until we are understood. When at last we are understood, we relax physiologically. The toddler feels the same swings of passion under these circumstances.

 

Your child can mark spring’s arrival with this colorful egg-shaped chalk.

 

Plastic eggs

Petroleum jelly

Plastic spoon

Plaster of Paris

Powdered tempera paint

 

To make a piece, first separate the halves of a plastic egg. Liberally coat the insides with petroleum jelly, adding extra near the seam, and then set both halves upright in an empty egg carton. In a disposable cup, use a plastic spoon to mix together 1/4 cup of plaster of Paris, 2 tablespoons of cold water, and about 2 tablespoons of powdered tempera paint. Spoon the plaster into the egg halves, filling them both almost to the top, and let it set for a few minutes until it reaches a mudlike consistency. Then snap the plastic egg back together and briskly shake it to combine the mixture.  Repeat for each color of chalk, disposing of the cups and spoons in the trash. Let the chalk eggs set overnight before removing them from the molds, wedging the tip of a table knife between the chalk and the plastic (a parent’s job) to help loosen it, if needed.

Carrot Tree

 

Lure the Easter Bunny to your house with this mini indoor tree bearing his favorite snack.

 

Several 12-inch orange bumpy pipe cleaners

Several 4-inch lengths of green embroidery floss

Newspaper

Bare tree branch

Small flowerpot

Decorative stones or glass beads

 

To make one, first cut several 12-inch orange bumpy pipe cleaners into quarters to create four 3-inch pieces, each with a wider part at its center (see photo).  

 

 Form each piece into a carrot by folding over about ½ inch at one end and tying on several 4-inch lengths of green embroidery floss at the bend. Trim the floss, if necessary.   

 

 Slip a loop of floss or string under the folded end for a hanger, then fold up the bottom tip of the pipe cleaner as well.  

 

 Next, use balled-up newspaper to support a bare branch (ours was about 10 inches tall) set upright in a small flowerpot. Add a layer of decorative stones or glass beads, and then hang the pipe cleaner carrots on the branch.

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tell  much  keep  give  work	first  try  new  must  start	black  white  ten  does  bring	goes  write  always  drink  once
soon  made  run  gave  open	has  find  only  us  three	our  better  hold  buy  funny	warm  ate  full  those  done
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wash  show  hot  because  far	live  draw  clean  grow  best	upon  these  sing  together  please	thank  wish  many  shall  laugh

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A simple homemade doll gives greater meaning to familiar words.

 

• woman’s ribbed sock
• shredded paper or batting (for stuffing)
• thick thread
• craft items such as yarn, ribbons, sequins, etc.

Read a book of nursery rhymes and discuss the characters. Make your own Humpty-Dumpty! Flatten the sock so that the sole of the foot is face down. The toe end of the sock will become the body, and the ankle ribbing will become the legs. Cut ribbing in half to create flaps that become the legs. Leave about half an inch of ribbing at the top. Fill the sock with batting to form an egg shape – a great job for your young helper. Using simple, wide stitching, sew up the flaps. Start at the bottom of one (the foot) and stitch up toward the body, over to the other leg, and down.  Decorate your Humpty with art materials.  Experiment with making dolls for other favorite nursery rhyme characters.

• supports dramatic play
• builds eye-hand coordination
• develops phonemic awareness