The Mom I Want to Be

Time-tested classroom strategies will help your child develop early reading skills.

 

The ability to read and write, to understand the subtleties of language, to think and reason clearly, and to communicate effectively with others is key to success in school and in life. Researchers have identified a window of time from birth to around age 8 as crucial for a child’s development of literacy. Preschool teachers develop literacy by continually exposing children to oral and written language, and by building on prior knowledge and language experiences. Pictures, play, and the printed word combine with oral language to help your child understand the symbolic representation that underlies reading and writing. Her teacher will use a variety of fun, engaging strategies in the classroom to develop literacy:

 

Reading aloud: A small group of children cluster around their teacher in the reading corner, listening intently as she reads The Cat in the Hat. She holds up the book so they can see the illustrations and talk about them. The teacher asks questions about the story and the children make predictions about what will happen next. By actively participating in the story, preschoolers acquire skills that will promote future success in reading. They learn new vocabulary and gain an understanding of the way stories are structured. They also experience high-level thinking as they form connections between the story and what they know in life.

 

Poetry: Nursery rhymes, songs, and poetry are a key part of literacy development, says Bernice E. Cullinan, Ph.D., professor emerita at New York University and the author of more than 40 books on reading, including Read To Me – Raising Kids Who Love to Read. Listening to, and repeating, poetry is a wonderful way for children to learn phonemic awareness. That is the ability to notice and isolate the individual sounds, or phonemes, in words, like the “c” in cat or the “b” in bat — a key skill for future success in reading. Preschoolers first learn that speech is made up of sounds, syllables, and words indirectly from listening to stories, nursery rhymes, poetry, and conversations. They gain phonemic awareness, says Cullinan, by “playing with language” — by meowing like the cat in the story a teacher is reading, or making up nonsense rhymes. Rhyming games also help children think about sound and the structure of words.

Storytelling: Listening teaches story structure and helps children learn to predict outcomes, says Bill Gordh, an author, storyteller, and director of expressive arts at The Episcopal School in New York City. He finds children get caught up in the rhythm of his stories and understand them instinctively, without explanation. One advantage of storytelling (versus reading aloud from a book), according to Gordh, is that you can change the story depending on how the children respond. He believes children learn the meaning of the story by responding verbally and with physical gestures. When you tell a story, says Gordh, “it is just you and the children and language. The moment is unique. They have to remember the story because they can’t go pick up a book and reread it.”

 

The alphabet: Alphabet books and puzzles help children learn the relationship between sounds and letters, and give them practice recognizing and distinguishing letters.

 

Writing and invented spelling: Writing is a key part of early reading. Children learn to read by writing, says Cullinan. They practice using the symbols they associate with sounds as they write using “invented spelling.” At preschool, your child will be encouraged to write captions for his pictures, to write stories about what he’s drawn, and to tell stories based on his experiences and imaginations.

 

Dramatic play: Children exercise their imaginations, practice their communication skills, and learn the subtleties of spoken language in dramatic play and dress-up games.

 

Computers: A computer can be an important tool for children in learning to write. Because their small motor control is still developing, preschoolers often find it easier to find the letters they are looking for on the keyboard than to use a pencil to form them. The teacher will help them search for letters in the beginning and encourage them to read the words they are writing and then print them out.

 

10 Ways to Help at Home

 

Read aloud to your child everyday. Pick books you like so your enthusiasm permeates the story. Make your child an active participant in the story by asking questions and encouraging her to predict what will happen next. Be sure to include nursery rhymes and poetry.

 

Make sure your child sees you reading. Let him know that it is important to you and that you enjoy it.

 

Have books readily available around the house, including sturdy, easy-to-grasp board books.

Take your child to the library and get him a library card. Go with him to the bookstore to select books.

 

Teach your child to recognize her name. Print it on the top of her drawings and on the door of her room.

 

Use TV responsibly. Limit the number of shows watched, choose shows that relate to books, and watch together so you can talk about what you see.

 

Give your child paper and crayons, or markers, and ask her to illustrate a letter to grandma and write captions under her pictures. Let her use invented spelling. Ask her to illustrate her stories and read them to you. Make holiday cards together.

 

Help your child to understand the role of print in the world by pointing out signs on the bus, labels on sneakers, and signs on fast food restaurants and movie theaters. Show him the importance of reading and writing in the tasks of daily life — involve him in making grocery and to-do lists. When you go to the store, let him find the tomato soup and Cheerios.

 

Expand your child’s use of language by repeating his responses and elaborating on them. Cullinan suggests that if your child says she wants to go swimming, you could say, “Are you positive you want to go swimming now?” After your child answers, you could further expand the idea by saying, “Are you absolutely positive you want to go swimming right this very minute?”

 

If you have a computer at home, teach your child to type his name on it. Help him find the letters on the keyboard. Print out his name and hang it on his door.  Consider software programs featuring his favorite storybook character

Your students will never look at fruits and vegetables the same way again. In Freymann and Elffers’ One Lonely Seahorse, they’ll meet pineapple turtles and ginger root lobsters while exploring number concepts, fruits and vegetables, friendship, and more. Dive deeper into the book with this treasure chest of activities.

New Ways of Looking

An artist creates his or her work by looking at ordinary objects in new ways. When Freymann and Elffers look at fruits and vegetables, they see faces, animals, and underwater sea creatures. Introduce One Lonely Seahorse with this creative visualizing activity. Divide students into small groups and give each group a vegetable or fruit such as an artichoke, a pepper, or a banana. Ask each group to look carefully at the item, turn it over, examine it from different angles. Encourage children to stretch their imaginations to see other images in its shape. Ask: “What else can you see besides a banana?” They might see a crescent moon, a dog’s tail, or a snowman’s smile. Ask all the groups to share their discoveries.

The Kid’s Guide to Fruits and Vegetables

Create an illustrated dictionary with your class while teaching important research, writing, and sorting skills. Each child should choose a fruit or vegetable and prepare one page of the guide that includes a drawing, a description in one or two sentences, information on where it is grown, and what nutrition it provides. Help the children to stay organized by providing a template for this great class book.

Scavenger Hunt to the Supermarket

Encourage children to discover the array of fruits and vegetables available at the supermarket with this scavenger hunt. Create a list of fruits and vegetables and with that in hand, children visit the produce section with their parents and check off each fruit or vegetable they find. Ask them to write a few words describing its color, shape, texture, or smell. When the lists are returned to school, ask which items on the list were easy or hard to find. Share and list descriptive words. Use the list as a writing prompt or to build a word wall.

An alternative to the scavenger hunt is to arrange a field trip to your local supermarket. Dole’s 5 A Day program sponsors visits to the produce department of local supermarkets to learn about nutritious fruits and vegetables in a fun and memorable way. To find a participating store near you, visit http://www.dole5aday.com/. At this Web site, you can also order free kid’s fruit and vegetable cookbooks for each child in your class, and free 5 A Day Adventure CD-ROMs.

Learn letters the tactile way, with refrigerator magnets.

 

2. Choose a letter: Together, think up as many words as you can that begin with that letter. For example, B is for ball, bat, baby, balloon, bees. Be playful with the language, and make up silly phrases from the words you create. Try creating tongue twisters using words that begin with the same sound. Try “buzzing bumblebees” or “green, gooey grapes.” Take turns saying the phrases three times, fast.

3. Be a letter detective: Invite your child to choose any magnetic letter. With the letter in hand, find words around the house that contain that letter. Is it in a word on the microwave, stereo, or washing machine? On a T-shirt or toy? Is the letter at the beginning, middle, or end of the word? Is there more than one of the same letters in the word? This gives children the opportunity to recognize the same sounds in different words.

4. Play “Going on a Trip”: Start the game by saying, “I’m going to Florida and I’m taking the CAT.” Spell out the word with your letters. Ask your child to repeat the phrase and to add another item that begins with the same initial sound: “I’m going to Florida and I’m taking the cat and a CRAYON.” See how long you can keep going with that letter. Then try another letter sound.

Learning benefits:
• Supports pre-reading concepts
• Builds observation skills
• Promotes eye-hand coordination

 

Celebrate the impending arrival of Spring with this Baby Chick Collage! With just a little prep before you begin, this project is sure to be fun for you and your little one!

 

 

Yellow Construction Paper

Orange Construction Paper

Any color Construction Paper (to mount the chick on)

School Glue (or other adhesive)

Scissors

Yellow Paint or Do-A-Dot Paint roller in Yellow

Googlie Eye

Assorted Collage Materials in Yellow (feathers, pipe cleaners, pom-poms,etc,)

 

Before You Begin With Your Kids:  Cut 1 large and 1 medium circle from the yellow construction paper. Cut two long, thin rectangles (for the legs) and three small triangles (for the feet and beak) out of the orange paper.  Allow your child to paint the large circle (will become the chick’s body).  Next, add the collage materials to the large circle. Set aside. Glue the triangle feet to the chick legs. Glue the large circle to the mounting paper, only at the center of the circle (so you can add the legs and head later). Dab a little glue on the ends of the legs and slip them under the body.  Glue down the head next to the body. Add the eye and beak and let dry!

This hands-on paint alternative is perfect for younger children.

 

 

Shape-ly Sculptures

 

Learn about numbers and letters with these tasty bread sculptures.

 

• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp quick-acting yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp oil
• measuring cup
• wooden spoon
• bowl
• plastic knives and forks
• wooden board
• baking sheet
• cookie cutters (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  With your child, measure the water, sugar, and yeast into a bowl, and mix. Wait two or three minutes for the yeast to soften. Stir in one cup of flour. Then add the oil, salt, and remaining cup of flour. Ask your child to sprinkle flour onto the wooden board. Place the dough on the board, and knead for about five minutes. Put the dough into the bowl and cover it, letting it rise for about 45 minutes. Have your child punch the dough down, and work it into a ball. Next, separate the dough into smaller portions Using the plastic knives, forks, and craft sticks, help your child mold the dough into different shapes, such as letters, numbers, squares, circles, and spirals. Encourage him to decide what shapes to make or use cookie cutters. Place your sculptures on a baking sheet. Bake at 400º for 15 minutes.

• fine-motor skills
• measuring and comparing
• shape recognition
• letter and number recognition

 

 

Scoop up some geometry, spatial reasoning, and creativity when you make this cool cone.

 

• construction paper
• tissue paper
• tape
• glue
• glitter
• other collage or decorating materials

Cut a sheet of paper into the shape of a triangle. Explain how the triangle can be rolled into the shape of a cone. Invite your child to decorate the triangle by drawing stripes, squares, circles, or anything she wants.  Together roll the paper into the shape of a cone, and secure it using tape. Make ice cream scoops by balling up tissue paper and stuffing it into the cone until it begins to rise over the top. Finish decorating the “ice cream” with glue and glitter!  To extend the activity, brainstorm other uses for the cone. Could it be a megaphone? A princess hat? A tepee? Make more cones and decorate them accordingly.

• Encourages creativity
• Introduces geometry concepts

A reflective look at how two halves make a whole.

 

Ask your child to draw a few simple pictures of familiar objects. Then cut the pictures in half lengthwise.  Let him place the mirror next to each half-picture. What does he see? Draw half a shape on a piece of paper. Then ask him to guess what shape it is. He can use the mirror to see the whole shape. Encourage him to draw half a shape and to see if you can guess what shape it is without using the mirror!

• develops sense of sight
• builds vocabulary
• encourages creative thinking and problem solving