This is an alphabet/memory game.
Start the game by saying, “I’m going on a picnic and I am bringing an Ax” (or Apple, Anaconda, Aardvark–any A word). The next person says, “I’m going on a picnic and I am bringing an Ax and Bananas.”
The next person tries to remember everything the person before brought and adds a word to the end in alphabetical order.
–Lindsay Mattingly
Ask your child to sort sugar or other condiment packets into groups by color.
Ask older children to practice writing letters or numbers, or drawing shapes.
Arrange a group of objects together on the table. Tell your child to look closely at all the objects and then close his or her eyes. Take an object away and see if your child can tell which is missing.
–Lindsay Mattingly
Sing verses of “Old McDonald” using funny animals not usually found on a farm. Your child will have fun making up new noises.
For children who love to wiggle, sing songs like “Wheels on the Bus” or “If You’re Happy and You Know It” that have verses with accompanying movements.
–Lindsay Mattingly
Keep a few children’s books in the car for long trips or long lines. Read the book together or have children who are learning to read practice reading to you. Children who can’t read yet can tell the story through pictures. Have them describe what is happening in the story.
–Lindsay Mattingly
“The Read-Aloud Handbook” by Jim Trelease
Caregivers who wish to instill a love of reading in their children may look for a little help and encouragement along the way. Fortunately, the staff at the Lexington Public Library is ready and able to help you achieve this goal. Of course, we can work with you to select books that your child will love to read. We also can help you locate a variety of resources to guide you on the path to family literacy and learning.
Here’s a booklist that includes a variety of titles written by teachers, parents, librarians, and literature specialists. In their pages, you will discover tips and strategies to promote reading for pleasure in the home. You also will find out how to identify any challenges your children may have as they learn how to read, and how to advocate effectively for them in the classroom when school starts again. Finally, these books offer scores of ideas for fun, book-based activities that will get your children excited about reading.
Read With Me: Best Books for Preschoolers by Stephanie Zvirin
Parenting a Struggling Reader by Susan L. Hall
Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment by Emma Walton Hamilton
The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
Catching Readers Before They Fall: Supporting Readers Who Struggle, K-4 by Pat Johnson
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell
Silly Books to Read Aloud by Rob Reid
The Between the Lions Book for Parents by Linda K. Rath
Straight Talk about Reading: How Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years by Susan L. Hall.
Also, Reading Rockets is an invaluable web site for parents, teachers, and librarians.
And don’t forget Summer Reading! We will have lots of incentives and fantastic programs to inspire a love of reading and learning in your children. Please come and visit us as we “Dig Into Reading” this summer.
–Mary Landrum
Pete the Cat” by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat is a fun character with a series of books, doing everything from eating lunch to playing baseball to counting to strumming guitar. Pete the Cat also has a website with activities, videos, and songs, all connected to the books. The site gives parents a great resource for drawing all the five practices into their reading time.
–Susan Price
“The Watermelon Seed” by Greg Pizzoli
Picnic season is upon us, and watermelon soon will be in season. Help your child explore this summertime favorite with an adorable new picture book. Greg Pizzoli’s The Watermelon Seed tells the story of a hungry little crocodile who worries about what will happen in his tummy when he accidentally swallows a seed.
Once you’ve assured your child that they won’t sprout watermelons in their tummies, explore seeds from a variety of fruits. Go to the grocery or the Farmer’s Market, and choose some seasonal produce. Once you’ve washed the fruits, place them on the kitchen table and ask your child questions like these:
These questions help children develop a variety of skills. They build their vocabulary by learning the names of the fruits, and by describing each one. They also learn a basic, yet important, science skill: predicting what will be inside the fruit.
Once your child has made predictions, slice the fruits and examine the seeds. Count the seeds to build early math skills, like one-to-one correspondence. (This means that if your apple has five seeds, your child will learn the number of objects—seeds, in this case—to associate with the numeral, 5. Your child also is discovering how to make observations, another early science skill.
You can compare the seeds by size and color as well:
These questions will help your child learn how to compare objects according to their attributes. Attribute is just a scientist’s word for “what makes a thing special.” And there you go, building your child’s vocabulary again!
These activities are taken from What’s the BIG Idea? Making Math and Science Come Alive for Children and Families in Your Library. This manual was published by the Vermont Center for the Book as part of its Mother Goose early learning initiatives. Each children’s librarian at Lexington Public Library has a copy, so you can trust that we use educational principles when we plan our programs.
Now have a healthy fruit snack, and read some more books together!
–Mary Landrum
