*Note: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
Today marks the second day of National Family Literacy Month. This is a month that has been designated to bringing attention to getting the whole family involved in bringing literacy to the forefront. Study after study has shown that reading aloud is the most important activity that you can engage in with your children to prepare them for reading on their own and to raising a future reader, opening a plethora of future possibilities.
Reading aloud is best started right from the beginning with infants, giving them the opportunity to listen to your voice as you read stories and looking at illustrations but if you didn’t start reading to your child when they were an infant, there is no better time like the present to begin. Reading aloud to your child will help with vocabulary, writing skills, memory, attention span and builds background knowledge, giving them an understanding of their world and also teaching empathy. Don’t forget to read with feeling and excitement, using different voices when possible. Look at the illustrations together and see if they hold clues to the story, characters and subsequent outcome. Be sure to make it a fun experience that builds curiosity so that children will gain a fondness for books and don’t forget to share books from your childhood as well.
If you aren’t sure what to read, check with your local bookseller, library or check out ourbook lists. Some of our go-to read alouds include:
Remember that National Family Literacy Month includes the entire family and that reading aloud is not enjoyable and beneficial for children alone. Adult children reading to their aging parents, adults reading to other adults and even beginning readers reading to others to gain confidence should all be included this month and beyond. Reading is a gift, meant to be shared.
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 5) for Kate, and two sons (now 2 and 1) 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.
Autumn is in full swing and though most of us welcome the vibrant colors of the season, some find this time of change difficult. Consider sharing the story Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley with your child but also take the time to get outdoors and enjoy the changes taking place, perhaps even sitting among the trees and reading a story or perhaps try some storytelling. Children always love a made-up story and you can never get it wrong. Stories began with the oral tradition and were then passed down through the generations. Telling your children stories allows you to pass on your values while also increasing focus and attention as you both maintain eye contact with no pages to turn or illustrations to peruse. Children must engage their senses to make the story come to life. Engaging children in storytelling is also a way to help support oral language and vocabulary development as well as listening skills while also increasing imagination and strengthening confidence as they use elements from their life to tell their story. Just remember there is no right or wrong so have fun with it even if the story gets crazy and doesn’t make any sense. To add some fun to the idea, read The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears by Alastair Chisholm.
“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.”
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AuthorWe 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. Archives
June 2022
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