WBES Literacy Letter
from the Reading Coach
Parent Read-At-Home Plan
Literacy Tips for the Holidays!
The holidays is a great occasion to spend time with those closest to you! Spending time reading with your children is a great way to celebrate. Try some of these fun literacy activities at home this season!
- Encourage your child to create bookmarks to give as gifts or to mark the place in your own book where you leave off during storybook time.
- Ask your child to help with holiday shopping. Have him or her write out the list and then read the items aloud as you look through the aisles together.
- Give your child a companion book to traditional holiday gifts, such as a book on juggling and several brightly colored balls; a book about fossils and a fossil creating kit; or a book about stamp collecting and a stamp album.
- When it's time for holiday baking, ask your child to read the directions aloud to you or read them together.
- While the cookies or other holiday treats are in the oven, read a short book together.
- Help your child make his or her own holiday gifts for family and friends by following the directions in a how-to-book.
- Ask your child to help you write out gift name tags. Use extra-large gift tags for tiny hands.
- Encourage older child to volunteer to read to residents in a local retirement home or hospital to bring some holiday cheer.
- Give a bookstore or online bookstore gift certificate as a holiday present so your child can select a new book on his or her own. Read the book together.
- Visit the library or book store and pick out some holiday favorites for festive family reading all season long!
Other ways to build literacy at home is having meaningful conversations with your child!
Oral Language: Expanding Your Child's Vocabulary
Reading and talking with children plays an important role in developing their vocabulary. Typically, more words are used in written language than in spoken language. The more you read to children, the larger vocabulary they will develop. Research has shown children learn new words by:
- Hearing a word over and over.
- Hearing words spoken by the important people in their lives: Mom, Dad, siblings, grandparents.
- Hearing words in a meaningful context – during conversation at dinner, in the car, while playing and while reading.
"Rephrase and extend your child's words, ask a clarifying question (tell me more about the man you saw), model more complex vocabulary or sentence structure (yes, I see the tall skyscraper you built with lots of windows), and ask open-ended questions," says Susan Hall and Louisa Moats of Straight Talk About Reading.
What Parents Can Do to Help Children Build Vocabulary
- Create or learn songs to expand your child's vocabulary. Use songs to describe your daily routines, periodically adding new verses that include new vocabulary words.
- Read stories such as The Three Bears or Three Billy Goats Gruff. Act out the stories using small, medium and large stuffed animals. Find other items in your home that are large, medium and small. Ask your child to classify the items according to size.
- Play "I Spy" with your child using words that describe an object's position. ("I spy something on the carpet, in front of the couch, next to the dog.") Expand this activity by playing "Simon Says" using directional words. ("Simon says put your hand above your head.")
- Keep a journal. Spend some time every night discussing your activities from the day. Introduce new vocabulary words by elaborating on the day's activities. Write down your child's impressions of the day.