Author: ned@imarketu.com.au

Mem Fox, an Australian writer of children’s books and an educationalist specialising in literacy, advocates reading with children for 10 minutes a day, which roughly equals three books a day. If you read 3 books a day to your child from birth, they would have heard around 5000 stories by the time they reach the age of five. Even if you only read half that many, or a third, that is still a wonderful amount of sharing, bonding and learning that is taking place. The benefits of reading to children are many. The human brain is most open to environmental influences in the first few years of life with 90% of brain development occurring between birth and the age of five. Research has shown that children whose parents read to them when they are young learn to speak, read and write more easily. What preschoolers know before they enter school is strongly related to how easily they learn to read when they start school. What do preschoolers need to know? Imagine learning to read is like building a house. You would not try and build the walls without first laying strong foundations. Emergent literacy skills, or pre-reading skills, are the strong foundations of reading. Children need to have these early skills before they can learn to read. Emergent literacy skills include: – The ability to recognise and name letters of the alphabet.– General knowledge about print, for example, which is the front of the book and which is the back, how to turn the pages of a book and that (in English) we read from top to bottom and left to right.– The ability to identify and manipulate sounds, also called phonological awareness (the sounds in words). How do children learn these skills? By being regularly read to and by having access to lots of great books to explore. So try and make time to read at least one book a day. Why else should we read with preschoolers? – Young children need lots of special one on one time with their parents and caregivers. Reading together is a simple and enjoyable way to take time out from hectic schedules and bond with your children.– Books can help children discover the world around them. There might not be that many dinosaurs roaming the streets but there are plenty in books!– Story time can be one of the most rewarding and memorable moments you can spend with a child, and one that both of you will treasure for years to come. What do preschoolers like? Sometimes it just takes one wonderful book to start a lifelong love of reading, but with so many picture books available, how do you find the books that will become your child’s favourites, the ones that they will remember as adults and then want to read to their children? – You know your child best. Be guided by their interests. If they are mad about trains, read books about trains. – If they are spending their days hunting for fairies, read books about fairies.– All children love predictable books, books that have a pattern, a predictable plot or lots of repetition. These books are a great choice for preschoolers as they can guess what is going to happen next and start ‘reading’ them to you.– Hearing and using rhyme is a fun way of making sounds, words and stories memorable. Preschoolers love to chant along and participate in the story.– Other characteristics of favourite books for 4 and 5 year olds include humour, suspense, and imagination. If you are still stuck then try well-loved, classic books that stand the test of time, such as ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, ‘Who Sank the Boat?’ or ‘Possum Magic’. Ten tips for sharing books with a preschooler: Sharing a book with a preschooler is a perfect opportunity to enjoy a great story, while helping develop their pre-reading skills. Children at this age learn best through play and experience, rather than formal instruction: Make sure the book is age-appropriate and about something that interests them. To develop children’s interest and enthusiasm for reading, books must capture their attention, captivate their imaginations and make them want to return to them again and again. Make reading fun! Use expression and different voices for different characters. Tell your child the words and let them ‘read’ the part of their favourite character. Read as often and as much as you can. Be prepared to read their favourite books over and over again. If they say “Read it again!” you have found a winner. It may be boring for you but it’s essential for their brain development and early learning. Read the title of the book and talk about the pictures. Encourage your child to predict what the book is going to be about. Look at who the author and illustrator are. Do you know any other books by the same people? Make a list of favourite authors and illustrators to look for at the library or bookshop. When you read to your child, run your finger under the words from time to time as you read them. This will teach him that you read from top to bottom and left to right. Ask questions about the story, but make sure there is no right or wrong answer. Ask if there are any words they don’t know and explain the meaning of them. Provide a wide variety of reading materials such as non-fiction, magazines, poetry books and joke books. Browse libraries, garage sales and second hand book stores. You don’t have to read just at bedtime – read any time of day, anywhere! Keep books near your child’s toys or play areas so they are always available. Take a book everywhere – in the car, while waiting for appointments, while travelling on public transport. Visit your local library together and sign-up your preschooler for their very own library card. Let them choose some books to borrow. If they have chosen the book they will be

Toddlers are learning so much about the world around them that it’s hard to sit still! Don’t worry if you can’t get through a whole book. The main thing to keep in mind when reading with toddlers is that it has more to do with pointing and talking than with them sitting still and listening. Have fun together enjoying stories and books, and include lots of conversation, songs and play. There are many great options for toddler books. Board books are a great choice as they are durable and can withstand many readings, as well as being used in play. A good toddler storybook often shows the sequence of common routines—such as bedtime, taking a walk, or bath time. While reading storybooks, take time to talk about what is happening and make connections to what your family does that is either the same or different. Your child’s ability to remember and their vocabulary are growing tremendously, and books that introduce first words and emotions feed their desire for information. Books that incorporate touching and feeling, and any book with flaps, create moments for interaction that are ideal for this age. How to encourage reading in a toddler: – Keep books where children can see and reach them– Allow your child to choose what to read whenever possible– Provide your child a variety of books—story, learning, humorous, rhyming books– Build several moments for reading into your daily routine– Resist taking away reading time as a consequence. (“We will not read a bedtime story tonight if…)– Limit screen time and television viewing How to manage reading with a toddler: – Turn off TV/radio/phone, so you can both concentrate– Be willing to read only parts of a book and pages out of order– Read when asked– Let your child hold the book and turn the pages– Sit close to your child, as much as possible, while reading– Do a ‘picture walk’ where you talk about the illustrations together. This can be a way of them ‘reading’ a story to you At this age disregard the commonly held idea that you must read to your child for a set amount of time (20 minutes) in one sitting every day, or that you are a failure if you can’t get your toddler to sit still to “read.” This phase of your toddler’s development requires patience, being flexible and including lots of conversation, using a varied vocabulary, and modelling a love of reading. A child can learn and benefit greatly from being read to right from the day they are born. Grab a book, snuggle up with your child and share the joy of story-telling with them. The benefits of reading out loud to your baby or young child are simply endless! Benefits: – It encourages children to make connections between the “heard” word and the meaning “behind” the word– It gives them a positive foundation to pre-reading skills that aids the process of becoming independent readers in the future– One of the most important skills a parent can teach children is how to communicate: how to speak, listen, and to read. By reading aloud to your children, you are teaching them all of these skills– Reading to young children expands their vocabulary, improves memory, and allows them to practise listening skills. It also helps to develop thinking and the imagination– Read to your child from a variety of sources. Such as books, cereal boxes, magazines, road signs, and greeting cards. By reading from a variety of sources, you are teaching the importance of the written word– As your child becomes older, they will want books that actually tell a story and have an ending that makes sense. Books help to develop the toddler’s attention span. They contribute to children forming a rich vocabulary and verbal skills– They also contribute to the development of basic reading concepts such as following the words from the left to right side of a page. What you can do: – Try making books together from cardboard and pasting in pictures from magazines – kids love theseIncorporate movement and actions that go along with the books. For example, when reading “Humpty Dumpty” pretend to fall with your little one at the right time. They will soon come to anticipate this movement and be really excited about it. It’s remarkable how quickly they learn these little routines and grow to love them– Toddlers rapidly develop a group of favourite books and will want you to read them again and again. This can be a little boring for you, but it’s important to your toddler because repetition helps them to learn the meaning of words, which is vital for language development Try taking your young child to your local library to choose their own books. Many libraries offer free Story Time sessions for young children. This will go a long way to nurturing a love of reading, and helping your child become a proficient and confident reader later on in life. (This article is contributed to by Raising Literacy Australia, a not-for-profit organisation committed to enriching Australian lives through literacy.) At My Cubby House, we adopt the 3A Abecedarian Strategies, including reading, as part of our education philosophy. If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our approach to talking and reading with Toddlers, please call our office on 07 5527 1679. Source: https://www.startingblocks.gov.au/at-home/reading-with-toddlers Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.

Sharing rhymes, songs, telling stories and reading books with your baby is a fun way to play and spend time together. Importantly, it also starts to develop children’s speech and a love of reading. For very young babies, it introduces them to new and interesting words, provides time to practice babbling and speaking, as well as teaching them about how books work. It’s never too early, or too late, to start reading with a baby. They may not understand the words at first, but they love hearing the sound of your voice and they learn that reading is important and fun. Most importantly, it is a wonderful opportunity to bond with your baby. Reading with a baby – Aim to spend some time every day sharing stories with your baby. – Turn off TV/radio/phone, so you can both concentrate. – Don’t rush. Make sure you speak slowly and clearly. – Watch baby’s face. Smile or reply to baby’s sounds. – Pause often. This way babies have the chance to understand. – It may help to include reading as part of your baby’s routine, such as after nappy change, or before nap times and bed times. – Follow their cues and continue while baby is engaged. If baby becomes hungry, tired, cries or turns their head away it is time to stop. How to share books with a baby – Choose books with large, bright pictures. Babies love pictures of babies and children, especially their faces. – You can read the words or just talk about the pictures. Do plenty of pointing out of single objects, animals or people. – They don’t have to look at the book. Babies find books fascinating, but will often look at you and make eye contact while you are reading. They are watching how you use your mouth to speak, and tuning in to your voice. – Have fun with the story doing silly voices and make funny noises. – Keep a selection of board books within reach – book baskets on your play mat, some in the car or pram, and at the highchair. Keep special books up on a shelf. – Encourage everyone to read, talk and share stories with baby. – As they get older let babies show books to you. Board books are strong so baby can grab pages and will even mouth them. It’s ok, it’s all part of learning! – Develop your own home library and choose books together. Borrow board books from your local library and discover new favourites together. Step by step in learning Babies begin to learn language skills from the moment they are born. Babies learn to talk by listening to people talk and read to them, and by babbling with sounds and words. It will take time before they are able to speak back to you, but their brain is busy developing the skills they need with every moment you spend talking, reading and playing together. – Most babies will say their first words between 12 and 18 months. They will have a burst of language development before they turn two, and begin to join words together by two and a half years. – Most three year olds will use three to four word sentences and be understood by familiar adults most of the time. – By four, children will use four to five word sentences, use grammar correctly most of the time, and be understood by most people. The more you read, sing and talk with your baby or child the more they’ll understand about language and words. So try and make rhymes, songs and reading books part of your daily routine. (This article is contributed to by Raising Literacy Australia, a not-for-profit organisation committed to enriching Australian lives through literacy.) At My Cubby House, we adopt the 3A Abecedarian Strategies, including reading, as part of our education philosophy. If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our approach to talking and reading with babies, please call our office on 07 5527 1679. Source: https://www.startingblocks.gov.au/at-home/talking-and-reading-with-babies Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.