Notes from Storytime

Using Props

eemerick — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:41:15 +0000

Choose a prop (picture, plush toy, empty cereal box) of something familiar that is pictured in a book. If there’s a puppy, help your child hold a plush puppy while you share additional information about a puppy. By giving your children more words, they will begin to learn more words to describe things in detail. This helps your child develop narrative skills important for learning to read later on.

–Tip by Jan P., Preschool/Childcare Liaison

Hey Diddle, Diddle

eemerick — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:24:17 +0000

Books include many rare words that your child may not have heard before. Don’t skip over them; go ahead and use the words that are unfamiliar to your child. When children grow up hearing lots and lots of words, they are more prepared when it comes time to learn to read. The book Hey Diddle, Diddle by Eve Bunting names many musical instruments. You can see what each of them looks like in the pictures.

–Tip by Erin E., Youth Programming Coordinator

Print Awareness

eemerick — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:23:55 +0000

Before children can learn to read, they need to know how to handle a book. This involves knowing how to turn the pages, as well as understanding that what you read is the text on the page and not the pictures. Call attention to these things as you are reading, without getting in the way of the story too much. This is called print awareness.

–Tip by Claire B., Youth Outreach Coordinator

Dancing Feet

eemerick — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:23:33 +0000

Singing songs with your child is a great way to teach them the early literacy skill of phonological awareness. When we sing, we are focusing on the sounds each part of a word makes rather than what the word means. Pop in a CD such as Carole Peterson’s Dancing Feet and children can dance and sing their way to reading!

–Tip by Carol C., Youth Programming Assistant

Z is for Moose

eemerick — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:20:14 +0000

Alphabet books are a great way to help your child with letter knowledge. Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham is a particularly fun book! Zebra is directing all of the objects as they appear in this alphabet book, but he forgets about Moose. Moose decides this is not going to work and tries to appear on as many pages as possible. As you read this story to your child, talk about all the letters you see and the sounds they make.

–Tip by Barb M., Youth Programming and Outreach Assistant

Play Your Way to Reading

eemerick — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:05:39 +0000

In the book I Spy With My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs, you can play an “I Spy” game. This is a simple, fun game you can play anytime, anywhere. When we play with the ideas that we find in a book, we are helping to make the story part of a child’s life. This supports print motivation, which is an interest in and enjoyment of books and reading and is one of the six early literacy skills.

–Tip by Erin E., Youth Programming Coordinator

Boom Bah!

eemerick — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:01:52 +0000

Part of phonological awareness is recognizing sounds and breaking words apart into the smaller sounds in them. Onomatopoeia is a great way to help children hear different sounds in words. The sound words in stories like Boom Bah! by Phil Cummings help build phonological awareness. After you finish reading the story, you could make your own band and play with the different sounds you can make. Not only will your child have fun making music, he or she will build early literacy skills!

–Tip by Keary B., Youth Collection Specialist

Say Please

eemerick — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:03:11 +0000

Narrative skills are the abilities to describe things and to talk about events and tell stories. Using things you have around the house as props can help children remember a story and retell it. When you read the book Say Please by Virginia Austin, you can have your child use stuffed animals they have around the house to reenact the story.

–Tip by Julie D., Elementary School Liaison

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

eemerick — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:53:04 +0000

Before children learn actual letters, they are aware of shapes. Learning differences in shapes will help them later when they are learning the shapes of letters. In books like Spot Looks at Shapes by Eric Hill and Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban, children can talk about how some shapes are alike or different. Have them trace them and find the shapes in things and letters all around!

–Tip by Carol C., Youth Programming Assistant

Vocabulary in Rhymes

eemerick — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:49:14 +0000

Nursery rhymes expose children to words and rhymes that are not used in everyday conversations. Researchers have found that children who know rhymes find it easier to learn to read. Say rhymes with your child at home as you go about the day. It can be as simple as repeating familiar ones like those we do in storytime, or you can try making up your own rhymes.

–Tip by Keary B., Youth Collection Specialist