Before You Hit the Road

Like many families, you many be planning to get away from home this summer. Maybe you will a visit a place that is new or a familiar place that you return to each year. Whether you are venturing to a faraway city or just packing up for a weekend to visit relatives you see each summer, do some research with your child about your destination. Your preschooler can become an expert before she leaves home. It helps to build her excitement and imagination. Check the library for some appropriate books. Read together about specific locations or types of environments. Look for books about lakes, beaches, big trees, urban centers, or mountains. Then on your trip, talk about what you see. (“Do those sailboats boats look the ones in our book? How are they alike? How are they different?”, “How does that skyscraper seem like the one we saw in our book about the city?”) It will be interesting for your preschooler to compare and contrast the sights she imagined with the ones she experiences.