Researchers have found a strong relationship between experience with books during the early years and language development. -Reading to your child helps them learn new words.
-Reading books to your children gives them the opportunity to learn to interpret language.
-Reading stories introduces children to formal language.
-Reading to children can increase their sensitivity to the individual sounds of language.
References
Schickedanz, J.A. (1999). Much more than the ABCs: The early stages of reading and writing. Washington, D.C. National Association of the Education of Young Children.
Fun Home Learning Activities These activities are provided to assist you in helping your child with spoken and written language development. Of course, other skills may be attained in the process. The list of materials is typically found in your home. There is no need to purchase anything in order to help your child progress. They were designed with the idea that you can incorporate them into your daily routine. Feel free to be creative. When in doubt follow your child's lead. The only requirement is that you both have fun!
List of materials typically found in most homes.
1. Plastic bowls all sizes (ice cream containers or tubs, take out food containers, Tupperware, yogurt containers, margarine tubs and others) with or without lids.
2. Empty plastic bottles of all sizes (shampoo, dishwashing liquid, small soda bottles, small water bottles, lotions and others) with or without caps.
3. Pots and pans with or without covers.
4. Wooden spoons or other large size stirring spoons.
5. Sponges (any size, texture or color).
1. Select three or four different size bowls/containers that can be stacked from large to small. Demonstrate stacking from largest to smallest. Allow child to stack. Take turns with child. Provide assistance if needed. As child progresses more bowls/containers may be added to increase level of challenge. Follow the same steps for nesting. The activity develops fine motor skills (eye-hand coordination). This activity also serves to introduce new vocabulary (stack, size, big, little, small, on top, inside, bowl, container, possibly colors depending on the bowls or containers used). It provides opportunities for language development, turn taking and social interactions.
2. Music and movement activity. Select a pot or pan with or without cover or a plastic bowl or container with or without a lid, a large wooden spoon or regular large stirring spoon. Model banging with spoon on pot, pan or plastic bowl or container. Use pot or plastic bowl choice for noise level tolerance and variety. Produce sound by banging. Allow child to imitate by also banging. Bang once and have the child repeat after you. Bang twice and have child imitate sounds you produce and so on. If the child does not imitate banging patterns, allow him/her to start at an initial stage of merely banging as desired. Your child will imitate your banging patterns when ready. Just have fun banging. When your child is ready, you can experiment with concepts such as slow/fast and loud/soft for variety. Banging supports eye-hand coordination. It also involves gross motor movement. To encourage language skills you may also sing a favorite song as you both bang. When your child is ready, you may incorporate marching and clapping. While the child bangs and marches you may march and clap or vice-a-versa. Banging helps to develop awareness of body movement. This activity helps develop social emotional interactions. Repeating banging patterns promotes math awareness skills.
3. During bath time, provide plastic containers of varied sizes. If you find one with a spout great but this is not required. Use plastic bottles; you may use the bottles caps if desired. This activity may be done with a bubble bath or not. Demonstrate by pouring water from one plastic bowl/container to another. You may also try filling the plastic bottles with water and pouring back into the plastic bowls/containers. You may try experimenting with gently screwing on the bottle caps. Screwing on the caps may require a little bit of patience. If your child does not display any interest in screwing on the bottle caps, you may have to wait until he/she is ready to work on this skill. Just enjoy the water play. In time, he/she will develop interest in screwing the bottle caps. Pouring helps develop fine motor skills such as eye-hand coordination. Take time to work on language development. Take the opportunity to talk about full and empty. Other vocabulary words that may come up are pouring, in, out, big and small. You can be as creative as you like. This activity sets the stage for building curiosity and exploring. Working directly with your child helps develop social emotional interactions.
4. Provide a large plastic container with water and an empty container; add a few sponges of different sizes. Demonstrate wetting the sponge in the container and squeezing into the empty one. Allow the child to do the same. This activity develops fine motor skills of hand-finger movement. Use words such as dry, wet, soft, squeeze, hand, fingers and of course water to encourage language and cognitive development. This activity also develops eye-hand coordination and gross motor skills. It provides opportunity for turn taking and social interactions.
5. Building - Provide as many plastic containers as you like. You can become creative in selecting safe items for stacking and building (cereal boxes, shoeboxes, toilet tissue rolls, plastic cups, etc.) Work together in building you structure. You can take turns while building. When the tower tips over use the opportunity for your child to learn about cause and effect. Building and stacking develops fine and gross motor skills. Building and stacking with your child provides numerous opportunities for language development, turn taking and social emotional skills.
Researchers have found a strong relationship between experience with books during the early years and language development.
- Reading to your child helps them learn new words.
- Reading books to your children gives them the opportunity to learn to interpret language.
- Reading stories introduces children to formal language.
- Reading to children can increase their sensitivity to the individual sounds of language.
References
Schickedanz, J.A. (1999). Much more than the ABCs: The early stages of reading and writing. Washington, D.C. National Association of the Education of Young Children.
Fun Home Learning Activities
These activities are provided to assist you in helping your child with spoken and written language development. Of course, other skills may be attained in the process. The list of materials is typically found in your home. There is no need to purchase anything in order to help your child progress. They were designed with the idea that you can incorporate them into your daily routine. Feel free to be creative. When in doubt follow your child's lead. The only requirement is that you both have fun!
List of materials typically found in most homes.
1. Plastic bowls all sizes (ice cream containers or tubs, take out food containers, Tupperware, yogurt containers, margarine tubs and others) with or without lids.
2. Empty plastic bottles of all sizes (shampoo, dishwashing liquid, small soda bottles, small water bottles, lotions and others) with or without caps.
3. Pots and pans with or without covers.
4. Wooden spoons or other large size stirring spoons.
5. Sponges (any size, texture or color).
1. Select three or four different size bowls/containers that can be stacked from large to small. Demonstrate stacking from largest to smallest. Allow child to stack. Take turns with child. Provide assistance if needed. As child progresses more bowls/containers may be added to increase level of challenge. Follow the same steps for nesting. The activity develops fine motor skills (eye-hand coordination). This activity also serves to introduce new vocabulary (stack, size, big, little, small, on top, inside, bowl, container, possibly colors depending on the bowls or containers used). It provides opportunities for language development, turn taking and social interactions.
2. Music and movement activity. Select a pot or pan with or without cover or a plastic bowl or container with or without a lid, a large wooden spoon or regular large stirring spoon. Model banging with spoon on pot, pan or plastic bowl or container. Use pot or plastic bowl choice for noise level tolerance and variety. Produce sound by banging. Allow child to imitate by also banging. Bang once and have the child repeat after you. Bang twice and have child imitate sounds you produce and so on. If the child does not imitate banging patterns, allow him/her to start at an initial stage of merely banging as desired. Your child will imitate your banging patterns when ready. Just have fun banging. When your child is ready, you can experiment with concepts such as slow/fast and loud/soft for variety. Banging supports eye-hand coordination. It also involves gross motor movement. To encourage language skills you may also sing a favorite song as you both bang. When your child is ready, you may incorporate marching and clapping. While the child bangs and marches you may march and clap or vice-a-versa. Banging helps to develop awareness of body movement. This activity helps develop social emotional interactions. Repeating banging patterns promotes math awareness skills.
3. During bath time, provide plastic containers of varied sizes. If you find one with a spout great but this is not required. Use plastic bottles; you may use the bottles caps if desired. This activity may be done with a bubble bath or not. Demonstrate by pouring water from one plastic bowl/container to another. You may also try filling the plastic bottles with water and pouring back into the plastic bowls/containers. You may try experimenting with gently screwing on the bottle caps. Screwing on the caps may require a little bit of patience. If your child does not display any interest in screwing on the bottle caps, you may have to wait until he/she is ready to work on this skill. Just enjoy the water play. In time, he/she will develop interest in screwing the bottle caps. Pouring helps develop fine motor skills such as eye-hand coordination. Take time to work on language development. Take the opportunity to talk about full and empty. Other vocabulary words that may come up are pouring, in, out, big and small. You can be as creative as you like. This activity sets the stage for building curiosity and exploring. Working directly with your child helps develop social emotional interactions.
4. Provide a large plastic container with water and an empty container; add a few sponges of different sizes. Demonstrate wetting the sponge in the container and squeezing into the empty one. Allow the child to do the same. This activity develops fine motor skills of hand-finger movement. Use words such as dry, wet, soft, squeeze, hand, fingers and of course water to encourage language and cognitive development. This activity also develops eye-hand coordination and gross motor skills. It provides opportunity for turn taking and social interactions.
5. Building - Provide as many plastic containers as you like. You can become creative in selecting safe items for stacking and building (cereal boxes, shoeboxes, toilet tissue rolls, plastic cups, etc.) Work together in building you structure. You can take turns while building. When the tower tips over use the opportunity for your child to learn about cause and effect. Building and stacking develops fine and gross motor skills. Building and stacking with your child provides numerous opportunities for language development, turn taking and social emotional skills.