eBooks?

So . . . I am often asked: What about eBooks for preschoolers? Is that OK? 

I think they are great. My opinion is that if your child is engaged with words and pictures and a storyline, that is terrific.  Whether they are turning pages or swiping a finger the important thing is that they are reading or being read to.

However, that being said . . . the other very, very important ingredient to those early literacy experiences is the intimacy. It is the togetherness, the reading to each other, the shared laughter.  You want your young child to associate reading with closeness and warmth. So be sure to stick around. Don't just hand your child a device and assume she is self-sufficient. Share the book, maintain that closeness, read together.

Make Some Summer Memories

Summer is the ideal time for you and your preschooler to create a book about his summer activities, including  vacations, visits to parks and zoos, and other memorable family times. Plan now on the best way to create a lasting memory repository. Let him dictate to you and he can illustrate pages, or use photos and other souvenirs to recount special times. Do it the old-fashioned way or scan images and create a digital scrapbook.  

Most important ingredient? Read it together. In a few weeks it will be a sweet way to relive the memories of summer and will give your young child a refresher on what he might have forgotten. If he is starting at preschool, it is likely that when school opens one of the conversations will be about what children did over the summer. Having just recalled his own happy experiences,your preschooler may be inclined to share his memories with his teacher and classmates.