Literacy Challenges of At-Risk Boys: Does SES matter?

According to a 2010 study, boys lag behind on standardized reading tests by as much as 10 percentage points. Because we know that reading skills are strongly linked to overall school success, we must not ignore this alarming trend. Some experts suggest that girls and boys are just wired differently with boys being more visually oriented and more responsive to physical activity. But there are many things that parents and teachers can do to encourage literacy development in boys.

Now consider this: In some states, as many of 20-30% of children are living in poverty. Poverty is one factor that potentially places children at risk for academic difficulty and/or failure. Children living in poverty may:

• have limited time with adults (because they are working or because there is only one adult in the household);
• live in dangerous neighborhoods;
• have parents with limited education;
• not have role models who read or value education;
• have little awareness of or access to community resources (like libraries);
• attend low-achieving schools with few resources;
• not have access to books in the home because of the family's financial limitations; and/or
• be more likely to experience difficulties such as abuse, neglect, homelessness, unstable households, or violence.

One of the keys to getting out of poverty is a good education and boys living in low-income situations have two hurdles to overcome if there is any hope to break the cycle. So what are the answers? I don't have a magic wand or a crystal ball. I also don't have the money to fund the programs that I think our boys need. But I do have a voice and I hope to spread the word. Here are some ideas that I think will help:

• Libraries in low-income neighborhoods should continue to reach out to the community and provide some programs geared directly to boys. This may mean having more magazines and comic books in the children's areas. Keep in mind that there are differing opinions when it comes to the topics that interest boys.
• Mentoring and after-school programs that cater to youth should provide reading and literacy opportunites that are specific to the interest of boys.
• Schools and libraries in low-income areas can partner to help families understand the resources that are available.
• Schools in low-income neighborhoods should try (when funds are available) to ensure that school libraries have books that boys will enjoy (comics, magazines, non-fiction books, graphic novels, audio books, etc).
• I know in these times of school accountability and standardized testing, it's hard for teachers to tailor lesson plans and activities to the needs of their students. But when possible, teachers should provide boys with books that will interest them. They should consider that boys learn differently and allow more active learning and movement during reading activities.
• Schools and Child Care Programs in low-income areas should connect with the families and provide parent education programs and parent tutoring programs. Parents may not understand the value of reading to children. They may also have limited reading skills themselves so they may need literacy training.
• Encourage boys to read  books that have been made into movies. One expert suggests that reading books AFTER seeing the movie may gain boys' interests and may aid in their comprehension of the story.
• States should provide additional training for child care teachers on the importance of literacy. The early learning years are crucial and sometimes by the time children reach kindergarten, they are already lagging in necessary language and literacy skills.
• Schools and  teachers in at-risk areas can look for mentors and mentoring programs that may provide male volunteers to read to the class on a regular basis.
• Alter (but NOT lower) expectations for boys when it comes to reading. Boys may need to read in shorter intervals. They may need to be more active while reading. They may not want to sit at a desk and read. Be flexible whenever possible.
• Search for valuable computer language/literacy programs and games. Boys are usually more active learners and technology can be used to encourage literacy skills.
• Find local organizations (in our area we have Baltimore Reads) that support literacy. Baltimore Reads also has a book bank that provides free books to schools and to families. They also have literacy training for adults.
• Schools and Early Childhood Programs working with at-risk populations should seek out organizations that focus on boys and reading such as:
• Guys Read
• Boys Read
• Getting Boys To Read
• Michael and Mechelle Epps Foundation
• Boys Life Reading Contest (deadline 12/31/11)
• Reading Rockets
• Recognize that many of the children living in poverty are minorities so seek out resources that will be helpful to children and families:
• Brown Baby Reads
• National African American Read In Day
• Love to Read: Essays in Developing and Enhancing Early Literacy Skills of African American Children
• Preventing Reading Difficulties in At-Risk Children

What are your communities doing to address the specific needs of at-risk learners?

What reading programs or other resources do you know of that cater to the interest of boys?

Let's create a list of organizations and resources that will be helpful to other parents, teachers, educators, and leaders.

Learning to Read: A Right or a Privilege?

What if all the children in the world could read and write? This simple but poignant question is posed by LitWord.org. Many of us take it for granted that children will have access to books and will learn to read, but did you know:

• Nearly a billion people entered the 21t century unable to read a book or sign their name.
• According to the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 37 percent of fourth graders and 26 percent of eighth graders cannot read at the basic level.
• As recently as 2006, more than 8 million U.S. students in grades 4-12 struggle to read, write, and comprehend adequately.
• Children in poor families are less likely to be read to daily.
• Across the globe nearly 171 million children could be lifted out of poverty if they left school with basic reading and writing skills.
• Reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for building knowledge required for eventual success in reading.

Today is World Read Aloud Day. I challenge you to read aloud to a child today. If you don’t have a child to read to, pass this information onto someone who does and encourage them to read to a child today. Learning to read is a RIGHT, not a privilege.

Related Posts:
World Read Aloud Message from Kenya
10 Tips on Reading to Baby 10 Tips for Reading Aloud to Children
10 Benefits of Reading to Baby
10 Books I Love To Read Aloud

A World Read Aloud Day message from our friends in Kenya.

Should we give in to the “yuck factor” when it comes to boys and books?

There are a couple of schools of thought when it comes to what books boys (or children in general) should read. Some folks say that books like the Goosebumps series or other similarly "yucky" books are inappropriate and should not be encouraged. Others say if boys are reading...let them read WHATEVER will interest them.

My personal opinion is that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. If you have a reluctant reader and he will not read anything other than these types of books, I say some reading is better than NO reading at all. But I think parents should read the books that they are giving to their children so that they can have discussions about the content. If the book has all of the makings of a good literacy experience, then it's probably worth reading.

As teachers however, we have to have a standard that is acceptable to all parents and some books that parents might choose to read at home, are not necessarily appropriate for school. Generally we early childhood educators have it easier than our elementary school counterparts. In preschool and kindergarten, most young boys haven't yet developed the gross sense of humor that will make moms and teachers cringe :). But for older boys, if they are reading books about slimy monsters AND they are learning to comprehend, decipher new words, spell, process information, imagine the unthinkable, and learn to differentiate between reality and fantasy, then it's fine with me! Now, certainly if that's all a boy wants to read, it's our job as adults to make an effort to find other subjects that will peek his interest. But again I say, some reading is better than NO reading!

On a side note, I think it's important that we not ASSUME that because a child is a BOY then he will automatically like these types of books. My only point here is if you have a boy who is drawn to these types of books, I don't think it's the end of the world :).

Here are two links that present differing points of view:

• Getting Boys to Read: Boys and Gross Humor
• How to Raise Boys Who Read; Hint: Not with gross-out books and video-game bribes

What do you think about the yuck factor? Yes or No?

Related Posts:

• Six Not-So-Secret Tips for Encouraging Literacy Development in Boys
• Teacher Tip Tuesday: Tip #4: Boys and Books in the Classroom
• Beyond Reading: 15 Literacy Activities for Parents with Boys
• 25 Books Boys (and girls) Might Enjoy (coming soon)
• Literacy Challenges for “at-risk” families (coming soon)

Teacher Tip Tuesday: Boys and Books in the Classroom

Research shows that there is a reading and language achievement gap between boys and girls. As early childhood educators, we must take a moment to see what role we play in creating in this gap, and more importantly, how we can help eradicate it. We know that the early years are very valuable in setting the stage for future learning, so we should take our roles seriously. How can we be sure to set boys up with positive literacy experiences? Here are a few tips. Please comment below if you have more tips to share!

1. Don’t compare boys to girls – boys take longer to develop language and literacy skills. And comparing boys to girls is just unfair. What's "on target" for girls is not the same as what's "on target" for girls. Here's an example: if you have a boy that can write the letter A in shaving cream, but is reluctant to pick up a pencil to write, is it really fair to say that this child "can't" writ the letter A. Well he can write it...maybe he needs more fine motor activities to help him with his pencil skills, but it's not fair to say flat-out that this child can't write the letter A.
2. Evaluate your own teaching style – do you expect boys to adapt to you or are you adapting your teaching style to meet their needs? Is your circle time too long to really grasp the attention of the boys AND the girls in your room? Are you providing activities that meet the needs of all kinds of learners (visual, active, auditory, etc)?
3. Do you have books and writing materials in ALL areas of the classroom? If the boys in your room rarely choose to go to the library or writing table, then they are missing potential learning opportunities. In order to overcome this challenge, encourage reading and writing in all areas: in block area, add construction and architecture books as well and pencils and paper for making signs; at the work bench, add paper and pencils for making "blueprints;" in the science area, include encyclopedias, nature books, and science-related diagrams. Be creative, but make sure that reading and writing opportunities are all around.
4. Have male role models read to your class. In most child care programs, men are few and far between. So look to your parents or other members of the community to read stories to the classroom.
5. When you do author studies, purposely ensure to feature as many male authors as you do female authors.
6. Be sure that you have books that cater to the interests of the boys in your classroom.
7. Visit websites such as Getting Boys to Read and Guys Read to learn new and exciting ways to engage the boys in your classroom. Another helpful site is Reading is for the Boys...it's a webquest geared for K-12 teachers but many of the information is helpful and can be adapted to the younger ages.

Books About Boys and Books

Beyond Reading: 15 Literacy Activities for Parents with Boys

Reading to your baby boy is the first and most important way to raise a son who does not lag far behind their female counterparts when it comes to reading skills. Start reading from birth so that boys have a better chance of developing a natural love of books. But aside from reading, there are some other fun activities that you can do to further enhance literacy skills in young boys. Knowing that boys are active learners, it's a good idea to present literacy activities that encourage movement.


   
 

1. Label containers and drawers in your child’s room or play area. When it’s time to clean up, the trucks should go in the container marked “trucks,” blocks go in the container marked “blocks,” and action figures go in the container marked "action figures." Functional reading is still reading!
2. Combine sensory activities with writing activities: Put shaving cream on the table or on a tray (or on the bathtub wall) and practice writing letters and words. You can also use sand, flour, finger paint, etc. You can also try crayon soap for the bathtub!
3. Use alphabet molds for sand and play dough – encourage children to identify and spell with the letters that they create in sand or play dough.
4. Find interactive books – pop-up books, books with buttons, I Spy Books, etc… that might be appealing to boys. Keep them in the car or in your bag so that you can take advantage of any opportunity to read a page or two!
5. Boys are physical and tactile learners so instead of traditional flashcards, make letters out of sandpaper (or other sensory material like cotton, corduroy, felt, etc) so children can feel them.
6. Make letters with hands, fingers, and body parts. Ex: cross two fingers to make and X or a T. Again, any time you can combine physical activity with literacy learning, boys will be better off! 
7. Put large letter cards on the floor and have children “hop,” or “jump” on the letter you call out.
8. Don’t underestimate the power of everyday moments. Talking and singing help build important brain connections.
9. Infuse literacy into other types of active play: Playing baseball? Let your child write down the score. Playing with the train set? Make signs for the train stops. Got cars? Add real road maps. Look for meaningful ways to infuse a literacy element into your child's favorite activities.
10. Freeze letters into ice "cubes" (ex: put a few letters in a paper cup of water, when the water is frozen, peel away the cup). Give your child a safe space, a crab mallet or play dough tools and a pair of goggles. Encourage them to chip away to get to the letters. For older children, add letters that spell something (like your child's name or other familiar words) and once they've uncovered all of the letters, they can unscramble the letters.
11. Go on a treasure hunt: bury plastic letters in the sand box and have your son dig them out.
12. Find blocks with letters and build words with them (they often have them in the Dollar Stores – you might need 2 or 3 sets to successfully spell some words).
13. Visit the library - most local libraries have free programs for kids that involve story time, arts/crafts, and special performers.
14. Celebrate male authors! Boys need to see that men are writers too. When books have the author's picture inside, read this to your son. Look online and visit websites for male authors. Visit Guys Read!
15. Use technology to your advantage. We shouldn't ignore the fact that boys are attracted to technology, so choose websites and video games carefully. Choose and sites that encourage interaction and language use. Visit Best Sites for Preschool and Kindergarten. and Software for Early Childhood.  

Books for Parents on Boys and Literacy

Related Posts:

•Six Not-So-Secret Tips for Encouraging Literacy Development in Boys
•Beyond Reading: 15 Literacy Activities for Parents with Boys
•Literacy Challenges for “at-risk” families (coming soon)
•Should We Give In to the “Yuck Factor” When It Comes to Boys and Books?

•25 Books Boys (and girls) Might Enjoy (coming soon)

Six Not-So-Secret Tips for Encouraging Literacy Development in Boys

Several years ago when I taught pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, I had a foster grandparent volunteer – a senior citizen who helped in the classroom every morning. It was a wonderful program; it was nice to have a male role model in a female-dominated profession! Whenever the boys played in housekeeping/dramatic play area, Mr. B. would tell them, “Get outta that kitchen. Boys don’t play in the kitchen.” I had many talks with Mr. B and reminded him that it was really OK for the boys to be in the Dramatic Play area. It’s such a touchy subject with men sometimes. Sometimes they just don’t want to see their boys playing with dolls – but it isn’t a sign of doom , it really isn’t – they are imitating what they see mommies AND daddies doing – dads take care of babies, dads cook, and dads clean up. Four- and five-year-olds are experimenting with these roles and it is how both boys and girls learn.

So, all things equal for boys and girls, right? Weeeellll…..not exactly. Boys and girls deserve equal opportunites…but that does not mean that we, as educators and/or parents, should ignore their differences. Sure, it's OK for young boys to play with dolls and for young girls to play with trucks; but when it comes to boys and literacy, research shows that there is a significant gap in reading achievement. Boys and girls have biological differences and we can’t expect boys to fit into our mold of what we think a “reader” should be; we instead have to be flexible and bend our expectations to meet the needs of the young boys in our lives. Boys might not sit still for a 15 minute circle time so we have to find another way to reach them.

Research shows that literacy skills are a predictive factor in school success. Creating a nation of boys that are lagging behind in reading skills means that they are at risk in other subject areas as well. Our effort to erase this literacy achievement gap has to begin in the early years. Here are just some of the things that parents and teachers can do to set a literacy foundation early in a young boy’s life:

1. Start early: I remember reading that adults tend to read and talk more to girls than they do to boys – even in infancy. We can’t set our boys up for failure even before they get a chance to crawl! It’s important for all babies to be read to; research shows that the single most important thing a parent can do to raise a child who reads, is to read to them early and often!
2. Choose books that will be of interest: Whatever those interests are, foster them. Is your two year old obsessed with trucks? Have a five year old that can’t get enough of dinosaurs? Or a ten year old who loves all things related to baseball? There are books on just about every topic under the sun! Visit the library often and get acquainted with your local librarian!
3. Value Read Aloud Time: Even after a child learns to read, continue to read aloud. Hearing the rhythm, patterns, tone, and pronunciation of written language helps children to become better readers.
4. Timing is Important: If boys seem to have a short attention span, choose books that are not too long. Or, read books in chunks – a few pages a day/night. What’s important is that you are reading!
5. SET AN EXAMPLE: Boys need good role models. Dads, granddads, uncles, or other male figures should model literacy behavior. Children see and children do!
6. Keep tabs on digital media: Boys are attracted to video games and computers. It’s unrealistic to eliminate all digital media from a child’s life; to do so would suggest that computers and video games are inherently “bad.” I suggest that the use of video games and computer time is monitored – supervise the time children spend using these devices, select games/software properly, and select well-developed websites to explore.

Related Posts:

• Teacher Tip Tuesday: Boys and Books in the Classroom
• Beyond Reading: 15 Literacy Activities for Parents with Boys 
• Literacy Challenges for “at-risk” families (coming soon)
• Should We Give In to the “Yuck Factor” When It Comes to Boys and Books?
• 25 Books Boys (and girls) Might Enjoy (coming soon)

Links and Sources:

• Are There Differences in Achievement in Boys and Girls?  
• Boys and Girls Brains Are Different: Gender Differences in Language Appear Biological
• Boys Trail Girls in Reading Success Across States
• Building Language Skills More Critical for Boys Than Girls
• Center on Education Policy

Teacher Tip Tuesday: Poem of the Week Notebook

Every teacher knows that extending learning at home is an essential part of a quality educational experiences. At the beginning of the year, ask each parent to buy a small vinyl notebook like this. Each week, feature a different poem, nursery rhyme, song, or fingerplay. Make a copy and put it in each child's notebook on Monday and send it home that evening. Each night, the parent and child should read their poem or song together. The families should send the notebook back to school on Friday (so that you can add a new poem on Monday).

The parents and children in my classroom loved this idea because they could go back and re-read their favorite poem and at the end of the year, each child had a nice collection of poems from the entire year.

Whatever poem I would send home would also be featured in our classroom on chart paper. I would laminate the charts so that we could use dry-erase markers to write on them - sometimes we would circle our letter of the week, other times we might find a word that we recognize. Throughout the week the children would share this learning with their families each night.

If you are a teacher of infants/toddlers/twos you can adapt this concept by still asking parents to provide the notebook and sending home poems or songs bi-weekly or monthly. Parents will appreciate being able to sing or recite some of the songs they may hear their toddlers trying to repeat.

Other adaptations:

• If you have parents that speak other languages, ask them to either teach you a song/poem in their language or to translate a familiar song/poem. It's a great way to incorporate various languages into your program.
• For some poems, you may want to type and print them. But for others, I suggest writing them. These days children see a great deal of typed text (computers, books, etc) so seeing handwriting is good for them!
• Allow children to illustrate the poems on Monday before putting them in their notebooks. They will be additionally excited to show their family their illustration in addition to reading the poem.

Some songs/poems I used in the fall include:

• Way Up High in the Apple Tree
• Gray Squirrel
• Autumn Leaves
• Five Little Pumpkins

There are a ton of poems/songs/fingerplays to choose from. What are your favorites?

Happy Reading,

50 Literacy Activities for Babies

Reading is not a set of isolated skills that children learn when they go to school. Learning to read is a fluid
process that begins at birth. At birth, an infant's brain is still developing and the experiences that we provide determine how the brain is developed. Literacy activities for infants involve more than just reading. Almost every activity that you do with infants can be considered a literacy activity. Each new activity and experience encourages brain connections that children will potentially use throughout their lifetime.

These activies work for parents, grandparents, family childcare providers, infant room teachers, and anyone who cares for a little one!

1. Talk. Talking to babies is imperative to language development. Describe the world around them. Talk about what is happening.
2. Sing and dance. Babies learn phonological awareness through music.
3. Read. No explanation needed here, right?
4. Be consistent and predictable. Babies thrive on routine. Knowing what will happen next helps their emotional, social, and cognitive development.
5. Recite nursery rhymes. Children naturally respond to rhythm and rhymes.
6. Respond to baby's cries. Babies develop a close bond with those who quickly respond to their needs and distress calls. Bonding makes babies feel safe and this type of relationship fosters positive brain development. Don't believe that old wives tale that responding to baby's cries will create a "spoiled" baby. Crying is the only way a baby has to communicate. Imagine if someone ignored your words, your needs, and your desires in an attempt to "teach you a lesson." What would you really learn except not to depend on that person anymore - you would come to rely on person who actually responds to your needs, right?
7. Listen to different types of music. There is a clear link between music and literacy development.
8. Realize that it's OK to have quiet time! While it is important to provide stimulation for a baby's developing brain, it is also important to have some calming time. Imagine if you were "stimulated" all day long! Quiet time may consist of rocking a baby and listening to soft music before nap time. Babies need time to think too!
9. Participate in call and response activities. When babies coo and babble, adults should pause (waiting until the baby is "done" in the same manner you would wait for someone to finish a sentence) and then respond with a comment or sentence of your own. This helps babies understand the pattern of a conversation.
10. Give babies rattles and mobiles. Infants are beginning to develop eye-tracking skills. Giving them rattles or mobiles to track encourages eye movement which will help them learn to follow words and pictures in a book.
11. Play peek-a-boo. Action and reaction games are an important part of cognitive development.
12. Blow bubbles.  Sit Baby on your lap and blow bubbles for him/her to watch and track - this increases their ability to track objects. Older infants or toddlers can try to blow bubbles on their own. There is some research that says toddlers who blow bubbles, speak earlier. Perhaps it is because of the muscle movements in their mouths. Or perhaps it is because toddlers with bubbles are more likely to be with an engaging adult. Either way, blowing bubbles is a simple way to increase pre-literacy and literacy skills (and it's fun and easy too!). Click here for easy bubble recipes!
13. Play with empty boxes. Empty boxes encourage creativity and thinking skills. Mobile infants can crawl through large boxes or stack smaller ones.
14. Build with blocks. Babies learn about spatial relationships and problem solving when they play with blocks. These skills are directly related to reading and comprehension.
15. Expose Baby to various textures. Sensory activities are shown to have a positive impact on brain development. You can visit your local fabric store and find squares of faux fur, corduroy, velvet, or satin. You can also put Contact Paper on the floor (sticky side up) for an interesting sensory experience!
16. Eat Cheerios! Encouraging children to pick up their cheerios gives them practice with fine motor skills, and eye-hand coordination. Who knew that eating Cheerios could be a literacy activity?! These skills will come in handy when children begin to learn to hold a pencil!
17. Play instruments. Children quickly learn to listen to, recognize, and attempt to imitate rhythms and patterns. Listening to and imitating patterns helps children develop phonological awareness.
18. Act out finger-plays. There are many finger-play resources on the web such as Preschool Rainbow, Dr. Jean  and others on You Tube, and Songs for Teaching.
19. Go for a walk. Look at the world around you! Name objects in the environment. Remember that for an infant, almost everything is exciting and new!
20. Sing action songs and rhymes like Row Row Row Your Boat, Pat-a-cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and If You're Happy and You Know It. Babies will learn that words have meaning!
21. Make funny faces. This helps children learn to read facial expressions. Place baby on your lap in front of a mirror and make silly faces. If you have a child-safe mirror, place it on the floor and allow mobile babies to crawl across it. Learning to distinguish differences is a literacy activity!
22. Name body parts. This is easy to do during bath time or diaper change time.
23. Practice "Please" and "Thank-You." Practice give and take activities. Hold you hand out and say, "please" when Baby has a toy in his/her hand. When he/she gives it to you, say "Thank You." Give it back and repeat if baby seems interested. Call and response activities help baby brain development.
24. Learn sign language. Teaching babies some simple signs like "more" and "milk" will help them communicate with you even before they are able to verbalize the words!
25. Talk on the telephone. Provide babies with toy telephones and encourage them to engage in conversation.
26. Have fun with hats. Babies quickly learn to pair things up - they learn to make sense of the world by experimenting. Hats go on our heads and shoes go on our feet. Give baby a box with various hats. Putting hats on and taking them off also allows baby to practice motor coordination and self-help skills while thinking and making decisions. Make paper hats and read What's On My Head?
27. Play with water.  Water is soothing and a great sensory experience for children. Babies need sensory experiences - these type of activities promote brain development.
28. Put on (and take off) shoes and socks. Older infants and toddlers love to take their shoes and socks on/off. Babies can learn concepts like on/off, in/out.
29. Take a bath. Bath time is full of learning fun! There are animal shaped-sponges to squeeze, bath time books to read, and discussions to have. Toys that sink and float also provide cognitive experiences.
30. Visit the library. In addition to getting new books, many libraries have activities for infants and toddlers.
31. Fingerpaint. Exposing older infants to textures and colors increases brain activity! Try a cornstarch fingerpaint recipe that you can make at home.
32. Make a family photo album. Place photos into a small album. Infants will enjoy seeing and learning to name/identify mommy, daddy, big brother/sister, grandparents, and the family pet!
33. Make a picture key ring. Cut pictures out of a magazine (or the Sunday sale paper - the coupon section is normally filled with large color pictures), glue them onto index cards and attach them to with a loose leaf ring (for safety, use this picture ring with adult supervision). Flip through the pictures with baby.
34. Find books to sing. Books like Wheels on the Bus (Raffi Songs to Read) and If You're Happy and You Know It (Baby Board Books) are great ways to combine reading and music.
35. Tell stories without a book. The good thing about made-up stories is that you can make them up as you go along. Babies usually find the voice of a caregiver calming and soothing. Older infants and toddlers will be able to recognize some of the words in your story and develop their own images in their mind!
36. Read wordless books.
37. Make up songs with your baby's name in them. For example, sing, "This is the way we change Ming's diaper...so early in the morning."
38. Smile and make eye contact! It sounds simple, but sometimes we forget the importance of smiling. Research shows that babies respond to facial expressions! Babies also bond and connect with friendly faces.
39. Tell your baby what you are doing before you do it. "I'm going to change your diaper now." Soon, your baby will know what you mean, and be able to respond, when you say those words!
40. Unwrap "presents." Wrap toys in paper (newspaper or simple gift-wrap from the local dollar store will work) and let your infant tear off the paper. This activity will help babies develop object permanence (knowing that an object is there even though he/she can't see it). But it will also help them develop fine motor skills which they will one day use to write their name!
41. Find action/reaction toys. These type of toys require babies to do something (push a button or turn a knob) in order to make something happen. Reaction toys, like a jack in the box, encourage babies to anticipate responses. They also learn that they have the power to make something happen. Learning about cause and effect is a literacy activity that every baby can explore.
42. Play with fabric scraps or scarves (with supervision of course). Children love to look at colors, shapes, and patterns.
43. Dump and fill. Give baby a large bin or basket for their toys. Encourage them to fill the bin and dump it. They probably won't need much "encouragement" since babies do this naturally! Babies will learn concepts such as in/out, up/down, clean/messy... The key is having an adult close by to help introduce and reinforce these concepts.
44. Have fun with flashlights. Using flashlights with older babies and toddlers is a fun sensory activity. Sensory activities build cognitive skills. In addition, babies will learn to visually track the light. Visual tracking is a skill children will use when they have to follow words on a page!
45. Put on a puppet show. Puppets provide another fun and interesting way to engage in vocabulary building and language experiences!
46. Visit the zoo. Babies need exposure to new environments. Visiting the zoo is a good time to expose Baby to new vocabulary.
47. Rotate toys. When babies stop showing interest in toys, put them away and bring a few new toys out. Keep babies interest peeked!
48. Doodle and scribble. When Baby is old enough to sit in a chair (either on your lap or in a high-chair)and hold a crayon, give him or her paper and large crayons. Encourage baby to scribble and color. Large blank paper works well because young children are more likely to make large motions when coloring. Mobile infants are also able to hold a fat paint brush. Give them a brush, paper and a small cup of water. They will be excited about the process and not care so much that it's just water! You can also use water colors. Exposing children to art activities encourages fine-motor development, eye-hand coordination, imagination, creativity, and cognitive development!
49. Don't underestimate the power of touch. Touch is a necessary part of bonding with a baby. Some research shows that touch promotes brain development, physical growth, and emotional development. Cuddle with your baby.
50. Play ball. Studies show that children's coordination skills are correlated to future success on intelligence tests. Playing ball and other physical activities improve motor coordination.

Related Posts:

• Ten Benefits of Reading to Baby
• Ten Tips on Reading to Baby
• Best Books for Babies, Part I
• Best Books for Babies, Part II

10 Tips on Reading to Baby

In the first few months of life, an infant's brain organizes itself based on the child's language experiences. If a child is not exposed to quality language, these connections become harder and harder to make as the child grows older. The TYPE of language that children hear is also important. If adults are talking amongst each other or merely giving the infant brief and irrelevant language exchanges, then language development is unlikely to flourish. Reading to infants can be an easy task, if you know just what to do.

1. Get cozy. Snuggle on a sofa, on the floor, in a rocking chair...wherever you and baby are comfy.
2. Choose books carefully. These tips for choosing preschool books can be applied to books for babies too!
3. Choose books that babies can manipulate safely - board books and books made of cloth or vinyl are baby-friendly.
4. Read with expression. No one, not even a baby, wants to hear a monotone! For example, when you read Baby Faces make faces that mirror the words "yucky" and "uh-oh." Change the tone of your voice to match the text and/or illustrations.
5. Pause in-between pages and give Baby time to look at the images.
6. Point to and describe pictures in the book.
7. Pay attention to your baby's cues.If a baby is looking at a page for a while, don't be so quick to turn the page. Let him/her take it all in. On the other hand, if a baby shows no interest in a particular book, don't push it. Try another book or activity.
8. Keep books where babies can reach them. If you keep all of your baby's books out of reach, how will they ever "tell" you that they want to read? How will you know which books are your baby's favorites? How will they learn to make choices based on their own preferences?
9. Re-read often. Babies learn from repetition, so it is OK, even preferred, if you read a few favorites over and over again!
10. Read every day.

Related Blog Posts:

• Ten Benefits of Reading to Baby
• Best Books for Babies, Part I
• Best Books for Babies, Part II
• Literacy Activities for Babies

Best Books for Babies, Part II

Reading to infants is too often overlooked - adults may feel that this is a fun activitiy, but may not understand the true value of reading. To sum it up, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BRAIN! The brain grows exponentially between birth and the age of six. Brain wiring is incomplete at birth and by 3 months, the baby has more than 1,000 trillion brain synapses! After a baby's first birthday, pruning begins - connections that are not used begin to die. Reading to infants helps these connections grow and more importantly, helps them to survive.

Here are a few more of my favorite books for babies; there are hundreds more that I could share! I love books that relate to children of various races (like Baby Dance), books that have rhyming text (like Jamberry), books that encourage interaction (like Touch and Feel Animals), books that have predictable text (like Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?) and books that are related to songs (like Baby Beluga).

I hope you enjoy these stories, but please tell me your favorites! 

 

Related Posts

• Best Books for Babies, Part I
• Ten Benefits of Reading to Baby
• Tips for Reading to Baby
• 50 Literacy Activities for Babies