• Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Vocabulary

    header v

    Reading introduces kids to words that you don’t use in every day conversation. These are sometimes called “rare” words, words your child may not normally encounter. But, you can easily add rare words into your daily conversations. Think about synonyms – rather than, “Let’s go eat!” try using other words…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Underline

    Header U

    Today’s early literacy tip is an easy one! Use your finger to underline words as you read them. It doesn’t have to be every line of text, just pick out a word or two to underline. This helps kids realize that the illustrations connect with the text. It’s easy to…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Talking

    header t

    What kind of talking is found most in your home? It is one-sided, directional talking? As in, “Little Billy, go wash your hands for dinner.” Or is it conversation talking? Where you and Little Billy talk back and forth each listening and responding to each other. Both types of talking…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Singing

    header s

    Very similar to rhyming, singing helps kids hear the smaller sounds of words. Many songs also tell a story teaching kids about narrative skill – how stories work with a beginning, middle, and end. Plus, where else would you ever talk to your kids about a “tuffet” as in “Little…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Rhyming

    header r

    Probably some of my most favorite books to read aloud – rhyming books! Rhyming books have such great rhythm and really are so much fun to read aloud. Rhyming is a great early literacy tool to practice with PreK kids. The skill of rhyming helps kids to distinguish the different…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Questions

    header P

    Can you believe we’re already at the letter “Q”? Typically, Q is a hard letter for the Blogging A to Z Challenge, but this year, I knew exactly what to focus on! Questions! When you read aloud to your little one, do you read the book straight through, close it…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Play

    header P

    I think Mr. Rogers is an American institution. A man who was truly an wonderful human being who lived by the golden rule. He created Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood and spoke directly to kids about growing up focusing on social and emotional needs. The show ran for 895 episodes! Besides the…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Openness

    Header O

    Openness can mean a lot of different things, but for today’s post we’re talking about diversity. And the importance of creating a purposeful home library full of books that open your child’s world beyond their lived experiences. On a very basic level, that shouldn’t be too difficult. Because small children…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Native Language

    header n

    I live in a community where on any given day I can hear a handful of languages in the library. We have a large population of families from India in our area, plus Spanish, French, Chinese, some Eastern European languages, and more! Children in our school district speak 40 different…

  • Activities

    Blogging A to Z: Multiple Readings

    header M

    Do you have that one book in the house that you wish with all your might would just “happen” to disappear? And you’d totally make that happen if it wasn’t for the inevitable meltdown that would occur because of it? Yep, that one book that you kid wants you to…