Monday, October 19, 2015

Children's Stories that Scare any Parent - Part I

Parents Helping Kids Read
Parents start cognitive "sparks" when it comes to learning and loving reading for their kids.


Building a love to read requires a foundation, time, and patience from the very beginning. There are many "stories" that ignite success, but far too many more that provide an illusion of failure. 

Third graders who don't read as well as their counterparts begin a lifelong journey in which most increasingly lag further and further behind their friends. Research shows they need a growing amount of outside support to help them catch up, which becomes a never-ending story by itself--and a spooky tale to any parent who isn't quite sure what to do.


Here are 5 basic tips--with many more to come!


1. Read, Read, Read--Just not to yourself! Read to, and with, your child beginning at birth. Early reading is important for babies because they pick up sounds, tones, and rhythm. When coupled with a warm embrace, Dr. Pamela High (2000) found it to also promote bonding. "Reading aloud itself promotes language development," she wrote in a study at Brown University. Furthermore, basic vocabulary has been found to develop faster if tied to the visual elements associated with those words. The more you say "milk" when pointing to milk, the more likely it becomes one of your child's first words. 


In the beginning, choose books with only a little text and lots of texture and pictures. It keeps them connected to both literacy and you! 

2. If kids seem uninterested, don't give up...just yet. Try picking portions of the book, sing the text, play hide and seek with it, get books in which the child has to lift the flaps -- "touch and feel books." One of these books will grab their attention. Cause and effect is what interests the baby and most of these books do it. Also, remember to pick a time you know will work well for you both on a regular basis. 
"When you read is just as important as what you read when trying to garner a child's attention."  


Reading with Kids

3. After kids are old enough and enjoy listening, which can be as early as nine months, let the child choose between two books. He or she will begin to interact with the book by trying to turn pages, feel the texture on the pages, or try to lift pockets on pages. This is a time kids may try and mimic sounds they hear.

4. When they reach about 10 months old, have your children point to different objects. If they have trouble, it's OK to give them the answer. See if they remember the next time you point to it.

5. As kids near the age of two, they should be singing some words with you from familiar nursery rhymes. Add a dance move too. Again, have fun! If you are, so is your child. 


Linda Nathan reads Too Mad to Trust
Author Linda Nathan Reads from her book, Too Mad to Trust
More tips to come! In the meantime, why don't you tell me how these tactics are working out for you and I'll be happy to answer all comments! 


References
Effects of an animated book reading intervention on emergency literacy skill development:
   An early pilot study. (2015). Journal of Early Intervention, 37(2), 155-171.
   doi:10.1177/1053815115598842