Cook Those Books

With your child, design a meal that mimics what characters eat in a favorite book. Whether it is stone soup, green eggs and ham, or milk and cookies, have a real or pretend meal that involves your child helping you cook. 

By living out the pages of a book, you are helping to bring a story to life. Plus you are encouraging your child’s imagination. 

Let your child help you set the table and prepare the feast. Don’t worry too much about accuracy. Take a picture of your child enjoying the meal and keep it on your refrigerator. It will be a meal to remember!

 

Take a (Picture) Walk

The idea behind a picture walk is that you go through a book’s illustrations before reading it in order to get an idea of what is included in the book. 

Try it with your child. During this "walk," concentrate only on the pictures, without actually reading the words. You might start by describing what you see or let your child begin. 

Lose the words . . . for now. 

Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the pictures of a book. Take your time. The discussing may be engaging enough that you don’t get around to actually reading the book—in that sitting. Have your child tell you what she sees. Ask her what is happening, and listen to what she see says. Once you actually read the book, you can compare what you both predicted the book to be about to what it actually turned out to be.

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At Home . . . Away

Keep a set of books at a grandparent’s house or other places where your child visits. 

“Same place, same books” can make reading an important part of the visit. It may be a set of books that are always read there—and nowhere else.  Those “away” books provide a sense of familiarity to your child,  and the books become part of that unique experience. It is a way for your child to experience new routines in a place besides home . .  . 

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Author, Author!

Have your preschooler pen the next great American memoir. A favorite book for preschoolers to write is a record of an outing or excursion. It is a way to make a lasting memento and and be able to relive an event that is meaningful. Think family vacation this summer . . . 

Get fancy or keep it simple. You can staple together some pieces of paper or index cards, or buy a blank book, or use a commercial service. Encourage your child to write and illustrate her own books. You provide the raw materials, but let your preschooler dictate the contents—literally and figuratively.

The book can be wordless—let her tell her tale with pictures. She is getting a taste of what goes into planning what goes on the page of a book, recalling a sequence, and communicating something that is important and memorable for her.

Become an Expert!

Have you noticed a topic or theme that your child is passionate about? It might be princesses or earth movers or dinosaurs. Start a little “collection.” Go to the library or purchase books on this “topic.” (If you elect to buy books, keep the books about that topic together on a shelf. It is a way to encourage the idea of organizing things that go together.)

Your child is discovering that reading can open doors to learning more and more about his or her interests. Becoming an expert will make him or her feel excited about learning and also provide a purpose for your reading together. 

What's Next?

Here is a way to help your child build comprehension skills  . . . and use imagination.

After you and your child finish reading a story together, close the book, and ask, "What do you think happens next?" or "What happens the next day?"

This kind of thinking helps your child in a few ways. It encourages your child to use what he or she already knows about a character or a situation and run with it—to spin some educated guesses based on that information. That is also called making inferences, which a skill your child will use in school and in life.

For now, unburdened by finding right answers, your child is simply stretching his or her imagination, and engaging in some original storytelling. Enjoy it together!

Beyond the Bookshelf

Although many parents love having their children's books nicely organized on bookshelves, try to think outside the shelf. It sounds simple, but just having books in a convenient place can facilitate reading. For example, in a nursery, keep a stack of favorite books in a basket or on a table, near your favorite rocker or glider to make reading time a natural activity before bedtime. And piles of books in living rooms, on counters, or even in the bathroom, may be just the right inspiration for a read-aloud session, or your child's spontaneous perusal of a book.

Now . . . think about going mobile! If books are transported easily from room to room--in baskets, in boxes on wheels--they will be at your child's fingertips wherever he is. Sometimes convenience is key.

Siblings Reading Together

Encourage siblings to read together. Each one of the children will be rewarded. Older siblings get to practice their skills and feel a sense of importance and mastery. Younger siblings will get exposure to an additional reader (with a unique style of reading aloud). And they will be happy to get the attention of their older brother or sister who just may seem to live in a more interesting world much of the time. So it is a win-win. Plus, a sibling read aloud is a wonderful opportunity for a little bonding. Especially if there are a fair number of years between them, it is a happy way to connect.

Happy 100th Birthday to Beloved Children's Book Author, Beverly Cleary!

Enjoy this tribute by Nicholas Kristof to one of the most beloved of children's book authors, Beverly Cleary.

And take note of his wonderful reminder about the importance of reading aloud to your children!

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/opinion/sunday/happy-birthday-beverly-cleary.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

The Questions to Ask

When reading with your child, ask the questions that will get her thinking. You will be helping her to think more deeply about what she is reading. 

 You are not looking to test your child, but to encourage her to reflect.

Pam Allyn, a literacy expert and the director of LitWorld, encourages parents to ask open-ended questions during each read-aloud. “They prompt a higher-level critical thinking,” Allyn explains. “Fact-based questions only go in one direction, but comments like, ‘What are you wondering about?’ lead kids to inquiry-based learning, and that’s very important because it’s better practice for critical-thinking brains.” Developing critical thinking will help in the classroom, too. “In schools now there’s more emphasis on teachers asking more abstract-thinking questions.” 

If creative questioning doesn’t come naturally, Allyn advises simply asking yourself—before you ask your kids a question about the book you’re reading together—“Is this going to lead to more conversation, or to a one- or two-word response?”

Keep it light. Keep it fun. And let her know that her thoughts are important—that you value her ideas and opinions.

Cover Check!

Hold on. Even before you open a book to read aloud, do a "cover check." 

Talk with your preschooler about her predictions.  Read aloud the title. Ask your child, "What do you think this book is going to be about?" Then probe little more. Ask, "How can you tell? Tell me what you see on the cover." Questions like these are the perfect lead-in to reading together to see how accurate her predictions were. And they are helping to build her ability to make predictions based on evidence, an important critical thinking skill.

A Perfect Gift

Over the next few days, with some time off from work and school, make some time to read with your child. Enjoy some quiet time, laughing over favorite books. Snuggle together and enjoy some peaceful moments amid all the excitement. That is the best gift ever!

If the Book (Doesn't) Fit . . .

Sometimes text is way too long to hold your child’s interest. Or a book just doesn't grab your child.

You are the best judge of your child’s waning attention. Use your judgment. If you sense your child is losing interest, and you think the book has enough to merit to continue reading, you have some choices. 

You can tell rather than read the tale. 

You can skip some description. 

You can summarize a bit.

You can let your child narrate.

See where the pages take you . . . or just put the book down and find a better book for your child!  

Create a Parallel Universe

Find books that relate to what is going on in your daily life. This can be on an immediate, here-and-now basis. For example, if you and your child are waiting at doctor’s office or going to the vet, bring along a book that is on the topic. As you are waiting, you can compare your real-time experience with what is going on in the book. This activity can make a long waiting time so much more pleasant!

You can also do this on a longer-term basis. Say a tall building is going up next door to you. Read together about how skyscrapers are built. Your preschooler may be especially interested in its progress if she can compare it to what she has read about.

Reading about experiences that are similar to those in real time provides a perfect opportunity for your preschooler to identify with what she reads. It can make an everyday experience more meaningful. The flip side is it also makes the book more interesting because it relates to her world.

Visit School to Read Aloud

Visiting the classroom is a good way to keep an open connection between school and home. If it is okay with your child’s preschool, ask if you can visit the classroom to read your child’s favorite books with the class. 

A visit provides a good chance for your child’s teachers and classmates to get to know your child a little better. You will also get a sense of your child’s day and what the school environment is like. It is a terrific way to get to know some of the classmates she may be talking about at home. And she will like to show you off to her school friends and maybe even show off some of her reading prowess.

First, be sure your child if she is OK with this plan. And ask her which book she wants to share with the class. Then, schedule the visit. If she is hesitant, wait a month or two and ask again. 

Fan Time

If your child really, really enjoys a book, do some research. Find out if the author has written other books. If so, get your hands on them!

Do a search and find photos or biographical information about the author. Many authors have their own websites so it is easy-breezy to get the facts. Show your child the sites and talk about the author and his or her life.

This little research pursuit helps children get the idea that books are written by real people who have ideas and feelings and their own lives that include their own family . . . and maybe even pets. 

Your preschooler will be starting to learn to respect the creative process and to understand that books come from people—not just libraries and bookstores! This knowledge will help your child gain appreciation for the writing process as well as the idea of authorship.  

Thumbs Up? Thumbs Down?

Encourage your young child to express opinions about the books he reads. If he loves a particular book, probe a little to see what he liked. Was it the amazing pictures? The familiarity of the setting? A character just like him?  

And . . . just like you, he won't love every book he encounters. Let him know that it's fine to feel that way--that you are interested in why he didn't like a particular book. Were the pictures boring?  Was the book too scary? Was it too long?

You may need to help him find ways to express his opinions. Even if he does not have the vocabulary to describe what he is feeling, you can help him formulate his ideas. He will begin to develop that vocabulary over time.

Ask questions to get the ideas flowing. You are teaching your preschooler that his opinions matter. 

Take a (Picture) Walk

It might be time to lose the words—for now anyway. 

Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the pictures of a book. Take your time. The idea behind a picture walk is that you go through a book’s illustrations before reading it in order to get an idea of what is included in the book.

The discussion may be engaging enough that you don’t get around to actually reading the book—in that sitting. Have your child tell you what she sees. Ask her what is happening and listen to what she see says. Once you actually read the book, you can compare what you both predicted the book to be about to what it actually turned out to be.

Enjoy the journey!

Just What the Doctor Ordered . . .

Read aloud to your very young children--from birth.

Today, the American Academy of Pediatric announced that its policy will be to have doctors, during regular check-ups, recommend to parents that they begin reading aloud to their infants. Research has shown that children who are read to, talked to, and sung to, develop larger vocabularies and enjoy more success in school than children who do not have the same kind of exposure. The pediatricians' group thinks that early reading may just help head off remediation down the road.

So curl up with a good book that has lively rhythms and rhymes. Read aloud to your infant, knowing that you are doing great things for your baby's development. And enjoy the time together! 

Beyond the Bedtime Story

I just saw an interesting post on Facebook. Reach Out and Read, a wonderful literacy organization posted a picture of a father and his young son poring over a book of maps. They were preparing for the upcoming World Cup soccer competition, talking about the many nations from around the world that will be represented for the games in Brazil.

I love the idea of changing up your reading routine. Besides books, feel free to read just about anything your child is interested in. Is your preschooler attracted to numbers? Read a train schedule. Look at a seed catalog to admire the varieties of flowers and vegetables that are pictured.  Look at some old family photos.

The idea is to make your routines pleasant and something to look forward to. There is no need to limit yourself to books. The sky is the limit!