Music and Literacy Development

Here’s a little something you can do to help your children develop and improve their early literacy skills. It’s fun, and something you probably already enjoy…

Listen to music, sing along (and maybe even dance) with your kids- no matter their ages!

This toy microphone gets a lot of use from the two little girls at our house!

 

Here are a few reasons why music is so powerful to development:

• Babies as young as 9 months can feel comforted by familiar music when in an unfamiliar setting. Even at such a young age, music can become something soothing, like a favorite blankie or stuffed animal.
• Music helps build language skills through the introduction of new words.
• Music builds memory skills through it’s rhythm and repetition- (which can lead to comprehension when reading).
• Singing, dancing, and playing music come naturally to little kids-it’s not something that needs to be taught.  So, following their lead, this shows us that music is inherently important to them and their little growing bodies and brains.
• Having rhythm and keeping a beat help children as they grow older and are learning to separate sounds and isolate parts of words when decoding new vocabulary.
• Listening to music together, dancing, singing, and being silly are all great ways to enjoy time with your kids and build relationships with them.
• Moving to music helps build and develop motor skills.
• Listening to music with lyrics encourages both sides of the brain to work together at the same time (one side working to hear the words, the other side working to hear the music), and using both sides of your brain increases retention of information.
• In addition, music along with movement (and ‘crossing the mid-line’) allows the body and mind to work together at the same time, encouraging the brain to make connections. This action is similar to what your brain does in the processes of writing and reading. Consider this quote from the article “Music and Movement: Instrumental in Language Development” found at Early Childhood News:

“Cross lateral movement enables the brain to cross the mid-section (going from the right side of your body, across the center to the other side). This ability is necessary for reading and writing because in order to read and write one must go from one side of the paper to the other.” (Harman, M. 2007)

Need additional information? Here are a few links that might be helpful:

Zero to Three- National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families (Great for information on Early Childhood and Development)

Scholastic Parents– “Sing Your Way to Reading Success: Help your preschooler get ready to read by filling her life with music”

Early Childhood News “Music and Movement: Instrumental in Language Development” by  Maryann Harman, M.A.

Kindermusik (Information on a variety of music and movement classes)

 ABC Music and Me-Kindermusik (A variety of resources, research-based information)

So, turn up the beats (if your kids are like mine- they would be those of the Fresh Beat Band) and spend some time with your kids enjoying all kinds of music!

Angela (a readingteachermom)

The Thursday Book Bite: Online Reading at We Give Books

Happy Thursday!

Almost the weekend. You. Can. Do. It. !!

This week’s Thursday Book Bite is all about the online reading and literacy initiative- We Give Books. Created by the Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation to promote literacy by supporting local, national, and world-wide charities,  We Give Books helps to provide print books to children who really need them.  I have shared this site before, but I just love the idea behind it so much it is worth another post.

It’s so simple. Go to http://www.wegivebooks.org. Read one of the digital books online with your child and We Give Books will donate a print book to a child in-need through one of their non-profit literacy partners.

You can choose from a variety of children’s books, and even designate which literacy initiative you would like to support. What an easy way to give to others and be able to provide children around the world with their own printed books. Reading digital books with your kids allows you to spend time sharing a book together just as you would a traditional book, but in a more visual format,  creating a different type of book-reading experience.  While nothing can replace a great (print) book and the freedom and responsibility it gives the reader in the process, digital book reading is a great way to help your child interact with books and enjoy spending time reading.

In addition to your child exploring these online books independently, I would encourage you to read these books *with* your child. Your interaction in the reading makes this type of digital experience more personal, adds more language, and becomes a time of shared-reading which is a much more ‘rich’ literacy experience than a child only reading online books independently. A mixture of different types of literacy and book experiences is key  for reading and literacy development. Take turns- read a book together, then let your child pick one of the digital books to read by themselves. They will really enjoy the independence of being able to use the technology on their own, and you’ll be helping them enjoy reading and develop skills. Win-win!!

We Give Books is closing in on their MILLIONTH book read online- which means they have been able to donate one million books to kids! Amazing!!

Visit We Give Books and help them donate books to kids here and around the world.

Enjoy!

Angela (a readingteachermom)

Every Reader Has a Story

Every reader has a ‘story’.

You have one.

I have one.

Even my 3 year-old and 1 year-old have their own stories as a readers.

These individual and highly-personal ‘Reader Stories’ can be vitally important to who we are as readers, how we read, why we read, our proficiency at reading, and our future as readers. From a teacher’s perspective, if I am able to understand and know each of my students and their story, I am able to more effectively guide, direct, and teach them.

Here’s a bit of my Reader Story.

When I was little I was read to a lot. It’s something I vividly remember, and I look back with fondness (and even attachment) at books that I was read when I was younger. As I got older I would stay up at night reading books by flashlight, hidden under my bed sheet. We went to book stores often, and checked out books from the library.

I was always a good reader. Looking back I realize that I could read above my grade level, but it wasn’t something I thought about or even really cared about. I just loved reading, it was something I really enjoyed.

Everything changed for me one day when I was in 5th grade. I was obsessed with The Babysitter’s Club books by Ann Martin. I think I was probably to the point where I was reading some of them for the 2nd time, and then gobbling up a new one right when it came out. I wanted to be the girls in The Babysitter’s Club. (Well, not Claudia- she was way too cool for me). Anyway, while they were perfectly appropriate books for someone of my age at that time, they weren’t necessarily on my ‘reading level’. I didn’t have a clue or care until my teacher asked me up to her desk- in front of everyone, when it was quiet (which for an overly sensitive kid was humiliating!), and it felt at the time as if she was reprimanding me for always choosing The Babysitter’s Club books to read independently. She told me that they weren’t challenging enough for me, and she didn’t want me to read them anymore, she wanted me to ‘try new things’. (Good and sound advice, right? Of course!)

It was then that I realized (or began to feel) that reading wasn’t just about having fun. It was about work.

And, I was totally turned-off.

I didn’t want to read those ‘more challenging’ books that were at my ‘level’. My level was The BSC! I was so into those books, lost in the drama of Mary Ann and Logan, the mischief the kids were getting into, the fun things the club was planning. It sounds silly, but I was able to identify with those books more than any other books at the time. (Who am I kidding? It’s not silly! Everyone loved those books!)

I was so upset that my prized books and enjoyable time being lost in the plot and story lines of The BSC was taken away from me. I didn’t have the same desire to read for fun anymore. And in all honesty, I didn’t read much for myself after that. When I try to think of what I read independently from my middle-high school years it was all texts that were assigned to me. The magic of reading was gone and I only looked at it as a task, something I had to do.

So- why is this vignette of my childhood important?

My teacher was kind, and looking out for me- challenging me to grow and learn. But, I didn’t take it that way. Imagine if my teacher had really known me and knew why I chose those books. Imagine if she were able to really comprehend how invested I was in my reading. Imagine if she had taken into account how quiet and shy I was, and what being told that what I was choosing wasn’t appropriate might do for my self-esteem as a reader. Let’s face it. I would have moved on and read books other than The Babysitters Club. But, shouldn’t I have been the one to initiate reading more challenging texts? Knowing myself, I can say that I would have done it anyway. But, instead I grew to dislike reading (especially academic reading) at an important stage in my development as a reader- a time when I was growing more independent and making more choices about reading.

Could I have hated reading as a teenager anyway? Yes. But, seeing as how this specific memory is so vivid to me, I really think it had an impact on my reading at the time. Did I turn out okay? Yes. However, we really can’t be pleased with simply hoping kids turn out okay despite their influences/experiences. Something about that just seems lazy to me. We can’t control every situation and outcome, but I certainly can control the effort I put forth to know about my students/kids/etc. in terms of who they are as readers. I can validate them or not simply by taking the time to understand and learn that they have a story.

Every reader has a story. What’s yours?

Angela (a readingteachermom)

The Thursday Book Bite: Independent Book Stores

Today I got to spend some ‘me’ time perusing an independent book store in a small, idyllic town.

There’s really nothing better.

I love all kinds of bookstores, but I really love the ones that aren’t your run-of-the-mill ‘big box’ stores. Here are a few reasons why:

they’re small, so they weed out a lot of the ‘junk’. What’s left? Usually the GOOD stuff.

they know what they’re talking about, and not just by looking things up on their company’s computers.

they are usually run/owned by actual people that love books (not people just selling books)

you don’t open an independent bookstore to become wealthy (that’d be silly), you do it because you love it.

obviously, it supports the local economy

they are authentic to the reading/book experience. Little book stores have that feeling about them: like you’re about to find something awesome hidden in there.

 

As I was ‘lost’ in the bookstore (and my husband was starting to wonder how long he’d have to patiently wait before coming to find me), I found some fabulous picture books:

Happy by Mies Van Hout

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett

Not Inside This House! By Kevin Lewis

Oh No, George! By Chris Haughton

Now go get lost in an independent bookstore for awhile. See what new titles you can find!

Angela (a readingteachermom)

The Thursday Book Bite: A Bedtime Story for Construction-Crazy Boys (and Girls!)

Is bed time a struggle? Do you have trouble getting your child to settle down for bed at night? Reading a good book before bed is a great way to help kids wind down and relax after a high-energy day. For the past few weeks our 3 year-old has been loving the book Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker. She checked it out from our local library, and has been picking it often as her choice for reading time before nap/bed.

Normally I’m not a huge fan of rhyming books. Let me clarify- I do like books that are written in rhyme, but I feel like it has become the standard and ‘easy’ way to write a children’s book. Don’t get me wrong, being able to hear and recognize rhyme is a huge part of understanding letters and sounds, spelling, and reading. Rhyming is a big deal, and you wouldn’t believe how many little ones in elementary school I’ve come across that can’t hear or recognize rhyme at all. A good book written in rhyme can be a great tool for helping children develop their literacy skills. But, some ‘rhyming’ books are just words put together that make a rhyme. Not all books that are written with rhyming text are actually written in that style purposefully- and believe me, kids can tell. When we force stories to rhyme it almost assumes that kids won’t know the difference, it doesn’t give them the credit that they deserve. They’re smarter than that.

With that being said, this story is a great example of a book that rhymes- and rhymes with purpose. The tone and flow of the words lend themselves to a quiet, calm, and relaxing read- which is perfect for bedtime! (There also really aren’t any glaring rhymes that were completely contrived. The text all fits the concept and main idea of the book). It is a great read for those boys who are obsessed with trucks, construction equipment, and anything big and loud. But, our little girl loves it too. The illustrations, while very colorful, are calm and created in a way that almost makes them dream-like.

So, settle in for bed with the big trucks and machines at the construction site. After all, the big bulldozer has to go to sleep at night too!

Angela (a readingteachermom)

The Thursday Book Bite- A perfect book for Shared Reading

If you know me at all (or read any of my blog posts), you know I am passionate about encouraging parents to read with their children. Not only does it help them to build literacy skills, but reading together also helps you to build relationships with your child, and strengthen the bonds that you share. Because I feel this is something that is so important within our families, this week I am suggesting you add a book to your home libraries-You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You: Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman.

(She also wrote All Kinds of Families-which I love and have recommended!).

This book is great to read alongside early readers who are still learning and figuring out the process, but also those who can read independently. It is written in a way that gives you the flexibility to vary how this book can be read, and how you use it as a tool to help your child understand and enjoy reading.

Here are a few ideas of how you could use this book:

• Use it as a shared read with 2 people, each taking turns reading the ‘parts’.
• A shared read with more than 2 people, dividing the readers up to read parts together (2 or more reading the same text at the same time=choral reading)
• Use this book as a means of modeling, asking your child to read along with you or repeat parts of the text that you have read.  [Reading the book in this way ensures they get to hear someone else read it and are able to hear what it can sound like. This method is great for early readers as they are starting to notice the way people sound when they read (fluency) and are wanting to imitate. This is an adaption of choral reading.] If you choose to try this, make sure it is very interactive, and fun-or it could quickly turn into what they perceive as ‘work’!
• Read all parts of the book together.
• One person reads all parts, but use 2 different voices -one for each part. (A great option to turn this book into a read-aloud!)
• 2 adults both read this book aloud- each reading the different parts to a little one who isn’t reading yet. (Another read-aloud option!)

Get creative!

Books like these are perfect for reluctant readers. During this type of shared reading you get to share the work of reading the text, and the child doesn’t feel overwhelmed by having to read aloud all alone. These books really help to take some of the pressure off of a young/reluctant reader during this process.

They are engaging, silly, and fun to read, too!

There are additional books in this ‘series’ written by Hoberman, including the titles:

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very short Fairy Tales to Read Together

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together

Enjoy!

Angela (a readingteachermom)

Reading- Much more than academics

Reading is so much more than academics.

I want your children to be read to, and be exposed to books often (especially when they are young!). Research has shown that the number of books available to you has a direct correlation to academic success. This compilation of research put together by the NEA-National Endowment for the Arts, “To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence“ confirms this fact. [This position paper was written in 2007, but shows the decline of Reading as a whole in our society, which I can only assume has continued to decline in the last five years.] Reading and having books at your disposal is vitally important to early learning, and lifelong learning as well.

But, Reading isn’t just about learning words, making sure your child is reading above their grade level, or becoming smarter and more successful. It’s about relationships. 

I want you to read with your kids at home (no matter their ages!) because it is a great way to build relationships within your family. While reading together those participating are focused on the same task (FOCUS is harder to come by due to all our electronic distractions); you are present and in the moment. Shared reading allows you to interact with your kids, asking them questions, laughing, and talking with one another. Time spent during shared reading encourages bonds and creates attachment between family members. Consider this quote from “Tell me a Story: Examining the Benefits of Shared Reading” (Cunningham & Zibulsky, 2011) found in the Handbook of Early Literacy Research :

“…the shared reading experience is valuable not only for it’s potential to influence learning, but also because it can be a vehicle for developing and sustaining interpersonal relationships, creating opportunities for shared discourse…” (p. 399)

Reading does help you acquire life skills, and reading as a family also helps you strengthen your relationships.

I want to be so clear about what this blog is about. I want to be able to share tips, fun things our family does at home, and books that we love. But, more importantly I want you to see my heart for families and be able to hear my voice when I say these words: Our families need more relational time-time spent focusing on our children and our family dynamic. This is something that we have to commit to and has to become a priority in our lives. We are doing a real disservice to our kids if we don’t make our families our focus. As parents, it is our job to raise little people-people who will become adults. Let’s take this time we have with them and make it powerful, meaningful, and relational.

Reading together is just one way we as parents can take our power back, empower our kids to know who they are, and strengthen our families.

Think I’m exaggerating? Try it out. I guarantee you won’t regret spending the time, and won’t forget the memories.

Angela (a readingteachermom)

The Thursday Book Bite-Book recommendations from my 3 year-old!

Today’s post has been taken over…by my 3 year old! She is a lover of all things books and reading, so I asked her to go into her room and pick some of her favorites out of her bookshelf-ones that she would tell her friends to read.

Here’s what she recommends: But you don’t have to take her word for it!

[^ If you don’t get that reference, you did not grow up in the 80’s nor did you watch PBS.]

Miss Lina's Ballerinas (Grace Maccarone), The Easter Egg (Jan Brett)

Fancy Nancy and the Sensational Babysitter (Jane O'Connor), The Colors of Us (Karen Katz), We Love Ballet (Jane Feldman), I'm a Big Sister (Joanna Cole), Pinkalicious: Tickled Pink (Victoria Kann).

Arthur's Teacher Moves in (Marc Brown), Llama Llama Misses Mama (Anna Dewdney), Froggy Goes to School (Jonathan London), The Valentine Bears (Eve Bunting), Little Bear's Visit (Else Homelund Minarik).

And then she lined them up so that I could take a picture... (She is a first-born for sure!)

My girls definitely have favorites when it comes to books- ones that we read over, and over, and over…you get the idea! (These really aren’t even a fraction of them!)

What book(s) is your family enjoying right now?

Angela (a readingteachermom)

An upcycled post: MAKING time to read with your family

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about our family’s reading routines, and how we incorporate reading into what we do everyday.

(Read that post here: A Little about our Family’s Reading Routines)

Here is another blog post that I wrote about reading routines, and choosing to MAKE the time to read with your family everyday. I updated it just a bit (the original post can be read here), but I really want to impress upon you that you can choose to make literacy and reading a priority in your family. YOU have the power to raise up readers.

Enjoy a blast from the past-(2009 to be exact!):

It’s something we all want more of, in fact it’s something we really can’t seem to get enough of-TIME. There are so many things packed in to each day, how can we possibly get them all done?
My challenge to you is to MAKE the time to read with your child(ren). MAKE it a priority. MAKE sure it happens. Notice I didn’t say ‘find’ the time to read. (‘Finding time’ sounds so cheesy to me…like it’s something you just say you’ll do so that someone will get off your back about it!) Seriously though, the time is right there staring at you in the face-it’s not so much that you have to find it…its just that all of us can get caught up in what is going on around us. Often we fill that time with other things- (iPhones, twitter, Facebook, reading blogs about reading to your kids…)! So, take that time, grab it, and use it for connecting as a family through reading and talking about books. MAKE it count.

MAKING the time for reading is different- it really is a choice. When you MAKE the time to read you have chosen reading as a priority for your family, you have chosen to value reading.

The NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) encourages families to read every day together at a designated time. Reading books, listening to books being read aloud, and interacting with books can make a huge impact in your child’s development and their early literacy skills. It’s one of the easiest things that you can do, but has a big payoff developmentally. The NAEYC has found that taking time to read together also shows your child that reading is worthwhile; that it’s important. Making time to read may mean different things for different families. Maybe this means right before bed, before nap, right after dinner, before or after school, waiting in line at the grocery (maybe stay away from the tabloids, though!!), or even during bath time. In some way build a time for reading into your child’s daily routine. So, MAKE the time and stick to it- do it every day!

I know you’re probably picturing “the perfect family” huddled around a book and laughing and smiling and having a grand old time- and you’re thinking- ‘yeah, right…there’s no way I can get my kids to do that!’ Well, it may not go that way, and that’s okay. Just try it out. Spend some time one-on-one with your kids. Try reading a new book. But, don’t look at it as work, or just one more thing to do. In the end it doesn’t matter so much what you read with them, but that you are reading with them.

So, MAKE some time in your day to read with your family. No matter what their ages (seriously, even teenagers!), your children will benefit from it. And, you may even benefit from it too-it’s a great time to connect as a family! Trust me, the lover-of-reading-books-with-my-daughters that I am, I still loose track of time and miss out on those opportunities! But, when it comes right down to it we still choose to make spending time with books a priority in our family. It’s something that is important to us.

G reading with her daddy. (Excuse the laundry in the background- I promise it was clean!) 🙂

Let me know how it goes. Make reading a priority in your family. Start by MAKING time each day to read together.

Angela (a readingteachermom)

Letter recognition game: Even plastic eggs can be literacy tools!

I have seen lots of ideas (especially this time of year) for using plastic eggs in the classroom, or in play. After seeing and reading all of these posts I was inspired to finally break out all of our Easter “supplies” that I had been keeping up in the top of my closet so we could explore and play. Last year we used plastic eggs for some color matching games, and for hiding games (of course!). Little did I know that I had purchased two bags of easter eggs last year that I hadn’t even used yet! Bonus! So, I was set to go and we were ready to create a quick and easy-to-make learning game.

I originally wanted to come up with a way to use the eggs to match uppercase and lowercase letters (Not only for letter recognition, but putting the pieces of the egg together is great fine motor practice as well).  I thought I would just write the letters on the eggs in permanent marker, the uppercase letter on the top section of the egg, and lowercase on the bottom. I will probably still do this (and will update this post if/when I do…), but today I wasn’t quite ready for the permanence of a Sharpie marker. Due to my non-committment (aka: I am cheap because I didn’t want to have to buy any more eggs than I had to!!) I decided to use stickers (which can be removed and changed) instead. Also, since this was her first time doing this activity I wanted to create something that she could feel success with from the beginning, then make it more challenging once she got the ‘basics’ down.

Using what I had on hand in my bag o’stickers we put one letter sticker on the top of the egg, and one on the bottom, like so:

*Since our letter stickers contained multiple colors of most letters we made sure to use the matching colors for each letter as well. (Again, since the stickers can be changed we can go back later and use two different colors of sticker for each letter egg to make it a little bit more challenging.)

We kept ‘stickering’ until we had an egg for each letter. (Our eggs were attached together, so we also had to pull them apart so we would have two separate pieces).

Using my fancy bird tray (which I LOVE!) we dumped out all the egg pieces on the tray.

Now, once you find a match, put the egg together, shout out the letter and drop it in the Easter basket. And….go!

*Naturally, Little Sis had to be involved in what we were doing, so she got to play with the eggs once Big Sister had made a match. (Right after this picture she put the basket handle over her head and wore it as a necklace- classy!)

After a few minutes of focused and intent concentration we had a basket full of matched-up letter eggs.

My three year old was able to do this independently, and she enjoyed being able to recognize the letters and find the pieces of the egg that matched. She was so proud of herself with each letter egg she put together! Now that she has done this version of matching the letters to make letter eggs I will probably change out the stickers to try some of the following:

Matching…

• letters (letter stickers that are different colors on each egg)
•  numbers
•  lower and uppercase letters
• shapes (using foamie stickers)

You could use eggs to build rhyming words-write the first letter/sound [for example: c,b,h,m, th] on one side of the egg and the ‘rhyme’ [at] on the other to build words: [cat, bat, hat, mat, that]. OR use the eggs to make number sentences. For younger kids gather just a few plastic eggs (1 egg in each color that you have), separate the pieces, and create a game in order to practice identifying and matching colors. You could also build listening skills and following directions by having your own egg hunt. Hide the eggs and then give your child directions as to where to find each of them, varying the difficulty of the directions and hiding spots depending on your child’s age.  Older kids could even have written clues (similar to a scavenger hunt) that they would need to read in order to help them find the hidden eggs.

While these learning game ideas are certainly not exhaustive, I’ve included them here to prompt your thinking. Usually once I see an idea that someone else has tried I can make it my own, and change it to work with the materials I have on hand or even adapt it for the learning experience I want to provide for my kids.  I hope these ideas inspire you to do the same. Many of the above ideas are examples of play that is less open-ended in that they have one specific end (learning goal) in mind. But, plastic eggs can be used in a variety of ways. Set out plastic eggs in an Easter basket along with little items that your child could ‘hide’ in them, or put some plastic eggs in a sandbox or sensory bin to use as scoops! Create a discovery bin filled with all things Spring (Easter basket grass, fluffy toy chicks or bunnies, artificial flowers, etc.) that your child could explore and discover. There are many possibilities!!

Think about how you can use seasonal items, like plastic eggs, for play as you help your child learn and also have fun. There are all kind of ideas out there. Try this one, find another idea, or make up your own!

Angela (a readingteachermom)