*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
Now is approximately the time of year when most schools would be releasing students for summer break, but this year, many students have been home since about March, which may make this year’s “summer slide” a bit more slippery. Not that we feel that parents can’t be good teachers, in fact the opposite is true, and that is why we want to remind you that instead of stressing, keep it simple this summer by playing with letters and reading alphabet books. With the plethora of alphabet books available, keeping literacy at the forefront is a breeze while also encouraging reading for both the youngest child as well as the middle schooler.
The alphabet book is an excellent teaching tool starting with the youngest child on up through the middle school aged child. In an alphabet book, the 26 letters are addressed in a manner created by the author and illustrator. The simplest ones use common symbols to match each letter with an object, such as A is for Apple, B is for Ball etc. Objects are selected to match the true sound of the letter making not only a visual connection to the word but also the beginning sound that letter makes, building phonemic awareness. Other alphabet books go a step further exploring various topics and themes often with a rhyming verse, rich language, unique vocabulary and some with a humorous bent. These books are excellent for the budding reader and can reach a level of sophistication that even the middle school child will appreciate.
As children get older, alphabet books can still be appreciated though on a different level and interest. Instead of the basic, look for those that encourage higher level thinking, challenging children to think about letters differently. Check out your local library or YouTube for a copy of Tomorrow’s Alphabet by George Shannon where “A is for seed, tomorrow’s apple and B is for eggs, tomorrow’s birds.” You might even try placing a blank sheet of paper over the right side of the book before revealing what the letter stands for, giving children an opportunity to work on making inferences, an important skill for reading comprehension. You might even work with older children to make their own similar alphabet book challenging them to put on their thinking caps and think outside the box, using imagination and creativity.
Another way to utilize alphabet books is through your child’s own interests, using them as a first resource for research. Many alphabet books provide a wealth of information in a focused and easily digestible way for early learners yet don’t talk down to the middle grade child, working well for multiple age children. If you are reading aloud to a child, much of it might depend on your own willingness to ask and answer questions and engage in a discussion, offering a richer learning experience. Remember that you don’t have to have all the answers. That’s what Google is for! Also, encourage your child to engage in further research either through books specific to that subject or online. Excellent interest-based alphabet books to consider might include C is for Caboose: Riding the Rails from A to Z by Traci N. Todd, A is for Aviation: The ABC’s of airplanes, spaceships, rockets and more! by J. Heitsch and don’t forget to include one of the 22 titles by Jerry Pallotta and be sure to check out some of the 75 alphabet books from Sleeping Bear Press that grow with a child as each book contains illustrations, a poem to represent each letter for the young reader and an informative sidebar for the older reader. The Sleeping Bear Press website helpfully offers teacher’s guides and activities for their books. For the child that loves to do research, offer a Venn Diagram where they can compare and contrast information or ideas. This will be an invaluable future skill for school.
Don’t forget to feed the creative genius that might lurk within and include art as a theme offering Museum ABC by The NY Metropolitan Museum of Art,ABC’s of Art by Sabrina Hahn and for fun The Steampunk Alphabet by Nathanael Iwafa.
Consult our Alphabet Books list for additional titles to explore!
As you read alphabet books, be sure to include time to play with letters in fun and creative ways. Ideas might include:
Knowing the names of the letters of the alphabet, recognizing individual sounds or phonemes,
learning how books work and the relationship between text and illustrations, and understanding the stories that are read aloud are all building blocks of early literacy leading to phonemic awareness, fluency and reading comprehension. Manipulating letters through games and puzzles, hearing stories read aloud and looking at and/or reading books this summer will aid in literacy acquisition or further the development of already existing skills. Letters and words are all around us. Find unique and creative ways to use them. Happy reading! -Kate @ BTBL Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.
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*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
The humble pea has never seemed to be a child’s vegetable of choice but when it comes to The Peas Series by Keith Baker, peas stand out in a big way and are adored, complete with rhythmic text and humorous illustrations filled with engaging details.
These are not identical peas in a pod. No, these little green peas are unique and have diverse interests, hobbies and jobs. Their distinctness is highlighted in a colorful animated way as they roll through the alphabet. Not only do they take a child on a fun exploration of the ABC’s in LMNO Peas, they are also featured in a book of numbers (1-2-3 Peas), colors (Little Green Peas) and months (Hap-pea All Year). LMNO Pea-quel finds the little green peas bouncing through the lowercase letters with new jobs, activities, hobbies and roles. Though the series is simple and appeals to the younger crowd, older children might find their humor appealing and the books can be used to further build and expand skills. Again, if you don’t have the books, check on YouTube for a read aloud.
When we looked up LMNO Peas activities online, the first entry was worksheets. Not an activity we wanted to start with so we came up with our own. Here is a list of some of our ideas to use with Baker’s books to have fun and build skills:
With literacy and math scores being such a concern, especially in Michigan, and with the coronavirus making the school year so short, it never hurts to play letter and number games, making their learning fun. The more you work with something, the better it will be absorbed and working with letters and their sounds will only enhance literacy skills. Reading books aloud to your child leads to better concentration, an increased attention span, greater empathy, increased vocabulary and background knowledge that can be drawn upon when needed. A total win-win situation. So, get out those magnetic letters, foamy letters and letter tiles or make them yourself and see how many imaginative ways you can use them to increase your child’s literacy skills.
Happy reading and learning!
-Kate @ BTBL Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.
*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts!
Letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs,
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Recently we have noticed that words have garnered increased attention in public schools with the January release of Peter H. Reynolds’s book The Word Collector. In Reynolds’s book, Jerome discovers the magic of words and after reading the story, we could see so many creative ways in which the storybook could be used to encourage children to collect their own words for further vocabulary growth. One activity that jumped immediately to mind was creating poetry stacks, similar to what Jerome does in the book. (Check out this article from The Classroom Bookshelf for a whole list of activity ideas). Jerome's story also made us think of all the other picture books that have been published that celebrate words and encourage the reader to find new words to add to their lexicon. These types of books make fun reads as well as bring awareness to words and how important and powerful they can be. Search through the list we have provided below and look for additional titles on your own. Then search for other stories that have rich vocabulary such as The Absolutely Awful Alphabet by Mordicai Gerstein. Check out author and publisher websites and even Pinterest for extended activities or be creative and come up with your own. Who knows, your child might just be a budding logophile, a lover of words! |
Picture Books Celebrating Words & Word Play
Happy reading!
One of six alphabet history primers by Greg Paprocki, this oversized board book features bold, detailed illustrations that highlight aspects of life in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. What I have loved about this book is its truly unique vocabulary. How many children's stories include words like haberdashery, jig and zither? My little bookworm, being only 12 months old, simply enjoys flipping through the book and looking at all of the artwork for now. She points to things and I name them for her and explain their function in the time period. But as she gets older this book will be a great conversation starter and jumping off point for a small history lesson. Other titles in the series:
- S is for Sabertooth: A Stone Age Alphabet
- C is for Castle: A Medieval Alphabet
- M is for Monocle: A Victorian Alphabet
- V is for Vittles: A Wild West Alphabet
- A is for Atom: A Midcentury Alphabet
Scholastic's Touch and Feel ABC
My daughter received this book as gift for her first birthday and it has been one of her favorites ever since. This book features delightful rhymes, real-life photographs that are bright and eye-catching and different sensory elements throughout, such as things to touch and flaps to lift. After reading it through several times, my little bookworm has figured out where all of the touch-and-feel places are and now enjoys flipping through the book on her own, exploring all of the letters, different textures and hidden surprises. She is also at the age where new faces are fascinating, so seeing images of actual children rather than illustrations is an added bonus for her. This is one of our breakfast books, a story that she flips through in her high chair while we have our morning meal.
Alphabet
Matthew Van Fleet has created an exceptional interactive sensory experience with this ABC book. The illustrations are quite beautiful and highly detailed. There are so many surprises to be found on each page that both my little bookworm and I discover new things during every read through. For instance, on our last read I finally noticed that there is a scratch-and-sniff stinkbug as one of the things representing S. Described as an ABC safari, this book features a vast array of creatures and plants (there are actually four things representing each letter to find per page), touch-and-feel, lift-the-flap and pull tab elements, rhymes, opposites and synonyms, and an ABC poster in the back of the book! Endless fun with this book.
My Awesome Alphabet Book
This book is, as the title states, awesome! Dawn Mitchell's illustrations are bright, whimsical and, in most cases just plain cute. The standout aspect here is the pages themselves. They are letter-shaped and feature a variety of things on the back that represent the letter.
Melissa & Doug's My ABC Book
Not only is this an alphabet book that showcases each letter through a cute drawing and rhyme, but it is a toy as well! Each letter is represented with a removable magnetic piece. My little bookworm loves taking the magnets out, and putting them back into their places. While listening to a story, she is simultaneously learning her letters and working on her fine motor, spatial reasoning and matching skills.
We stumbled upon Alphabet and My Awesome Alphabet Book while browsing through the children's books at a T.J. Maxx department store. If you didn't know, both T.J. Maxx and Marshalls carry new children's books and the selection changes weekly. We have found a lot of amazing books at those stores. The real fun of it is the unexpected finds. You just never know what you will come across and the same is true of library used book sales! Our copy of Melissa & Doug's My ABC Book was found at a library used book sale where children's books were 3 for $0.25! You can't beat that price. R is for Railway: An Industrial Revolution Alphabet we found at a Schuler Books & Music and Scholastic's Touch and Feel ABC was snagged while shopping at Meijer. Whenever we go out, we always end up browsing through books somewhere, which has led to some fantastic finds and remarkable reads!
Happy reading!
Author
We are mom Sandra and daughters Amanda and Kate, all with backgrounds in literacy and education, who want to share our philosophy of taking the basics of life; books, simple toys that encourage play, imagination and creativity, and using cooking and baking to teach math and real life skills to raise happy, inquisitive children. Join us in exploring the old and the new and sifting through the myriad of research to consider what is best for our children.
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