Today our early literacy tip is on letter knowledge. You may think of letter knowledge as being able to write letters. Actually there is a lot to know related to letter knowledge long before children can write the letters. One aspect is recognizing shapes. Today I’ll be pointing out some fun ways we can help them recognize and talk about shapes.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting
Our early literacy tip of the day today is on print awareness. There are many ways we can help children understand that print has meaning. Research studies point out that about 95% of a child’s attention goes to the pictures. Today in storytime I’ll be pointing out some ways we can help them focus on the print as well.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting
One of the most important skills you can give your young children is a large vocabulary. That means using big words, words they don’t understand, in a variety of situations. Knowing lots of words, having a large vocabulary, helps children not only understand what they later learn to read, it also helps them recognize words when they later try to sound them out. Today we’ll see how the language of books expands your child’s vocabulary.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting
For any song with repeated sounds. Example: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
Start out with one sound, say /b/ (buh). Each time you hear a /b/ raise your hands over your head.
Sing the song and raise your hands over your head each time you hear the sounds /b/.
Then add another sound, say /m/ (mmmm). Each time you hear /m/, tap your knees.
Sing the song again doing the motions for both sounds.
Aside: Putting motions to sounds helps your children hear the sounds. This helps develop phonological awareness, the ability to hear the smaller sounds in words.
Words to song:
My bonnie lies over the ocean; my bonnie lies over the sea.
My bonnie lies over the ocean; so bring back my bonnie to me.
Bring back, oh bring back, oh bring back my bonnie to me, to me.
Bring back, bring back, oh bring back my bonnie to me.
To the tune of Row Your Boat:
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme along, rhyme along with me
Small and all are rhyming words [or whatever two words you are rhyming]
Now rhyme along with me.
Aside: Emphasizing words that rhyme helps children hear the rhyme. Being able to hear the smaller sounds in words helps develop their phonological awareness, a skill that will help them be able to sound out words when they later learn to read.
[You can do this with two words in a rhyming book, or with rhyming words from a nursery rhyme.]
Idea from Pamela Martin-Diaz, Allen County, IN) Public Library
After reading a book that rhymes, I read the book and then come back to a page that have two rhyming words. We talk about the words that rhyme and then sing a song [to the tune of “Skip to My Lou”]
Small, all [or whichever two words you have noted] these words rhyme
Small, all, these words rhyme,
Small, all, these words rhyme,
Rhyme along with me.
[You can also do this with a nursery rhyme, pointing out two rhyming words.]
Aside: Helping your children to recognize and say rhyming words helps them hear the smaller sounds in words, which develops phonological awarness.
You can sing this song using words that rhyme in a book or words that rhyme in a nursery rhyme.
Idea from Pamela Martin-Diaz, Allen County (IN) Public Library
During several consecutive storytimes you would choose a song to sing every time. For example, I chose Row Your Boat.
In each storytime we sing the song correctly:
Row, row, row your boat; gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily; life is but a dream.
Then we sing the song again in a silly way, changing the first sound of each word:
Bow, bow, bow, bour boat, bently, bown be bream
Berrily, berrily, berrily, berrily; bife bis but ba bream.
Then we sing it again correctly.
Aside: Singing nonsense songs like this help children hear the smaller sounds in words, in a fun way! Try it with different songs. Being able to change the first sound in a word is part of phonological awareness.
The next time we sing Row Your Boat changing the first sound of each word to a different sound. For example:
Low, low, low lour loat; lently lown le leam
Lerrily, lerrily, lerrily, lerrily; life lis lut la leam.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting
Super Duper 1, 2, 3
Can you say this word (or name) with me?
[volcano–or word/name of your choice]
Say it
[Children/adults repeat the word with you]
Clap it
[Children/adults clap the word with you, one clap per syllable]
Snap it [snap fingers]
[Children/adults snap fingers together with you, one snap per syllable]
Tap it [tap with foot]
[Children/adults tap feet with you, one tap per syllable]
Aside: You can do this little song with any word! Dividing words into sound parts, into syllables, helps children hear the smaller sounds in words, one part of phonological awareness, the ability to hear the smaller sounds in words.
Idea from Susan Bard, ECRR Trainer
I read it once through even though many are already familiar with the book. Then we stand up, put on our imaginary wolf suits, and have them act it out and tell it back to me.
Submitted by Alison Towles,