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Newsletters: July 2010

Featured Article:
The Importance of Reading

Before televisions or computers, reading was a primary leisure activity. The ability to read is an essential skill for learning, and if a child loves reading, they will become more skilled at it. This life-skill will give the child an advantage: They will gain not only knowledge, but also pleasure from the books they are able to read. A child who struggles to read, will struggle with conventional forms of learning and will always be frustrated when required to read. This can affect the child's self esteem and behavior patterns. As a childcare provider you want to prevent that scenario. So, when should we begin to teach a child to learn to read?

The earliest ages are the most formative years. From birth, children are sifting through stimuli and learning how to interact with their surroundings and the people they're in contact with. Reading to a child from infancy on has an influencing affect on all aspects of the child’s development whether the evidence is visible or not. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends initiating a daily routine of reading for infants as well as older children. Currently only 50% of caregivers read to children every day.

Since language is the most utilized form of communication, children who are introduced to books at an early age are more prone to grasp the variances in phonics, which affects language skills and cognitive ability. Reading provides opportunities for physical development. Simply turning the pages of a book aids in fine tuning motor skills. It stimulates the muscles of the eyes and affects chemistry of the body, too, by utilizing the brain. It also has an effect on senses such as sight, sound, touch, and smell.

Children who love reading have comparatively higher IQs. They are more creative and do better in school. It is important to introduce children to lots of reading in the early years. Reading is said to significantly help in developing vocabulary, and reading aloud helps to build a strong emotional bond between a caregiver and a child. Children who start reading from an early age are observed to have good language skills, and they grasp the variances in phonics much better. Reading helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of the eyes. Reading is an activity that involves greater levels of concentration and adds to the conversational skills of the reader. Reading also helps children to decipher new words and phrases that they come across in everyday conversations. Reading to children strengthens their resolve in learning. One of the major ways to contribute to an interest in reading is to set a good example by reading in front of children. Taking the time to interact with a child through reading helps to re-enforce their development and education.


Helpful Hints:
Reading Comprehension

When we comprehend, we understand the meaning of the words being read. You can help a child learn to focus on the words by reviewing what you read together. Here are 4 helpful hints on how to practice reading comprehension.

  1. Why?
    When a character does something in a story that is explained later, ask the children why they think the character did it. For example, in the story of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff", you might ask children why the troll let the littlest billygoat go over the bridge instead of eating him. As you continue to read, they can see if they were right.
  2. New Words.
    When you come across a word the child may not know, stop and ask them what the word means. For example, if you read “There was an enormous crash!” Ask the children, “What does enormous mean?” If they don’t know, you can explain it to them. Now, re-read the sentence. This will help them understand the meaning of what is being read and they will begin to feel more confident asking about words they don’t know. Building a large vocabulary helps with reading because it's much easier to sound out a word that you know than one you have never heard before.
  3. Book Review.
    Children love to hear a favorite story over and over. You might say, “I remember reading this story, but I don’t remember what happens to the pig. Do you?” The child most likely will tell you what happened, thus they learn the skill of retaining and reviewing information.
  4. Attention to Details.
    After the story is finished, ask a series of questions about the events and characters. For example: Why did the girl take the book? Who drove the children to school? What happened after dinner was over? Engaging in discussions after reading encourages the child to pay more attention to the details of the stories.

By adding just a few simple questions and activities to story time, childcare providers can help children begin to learn about important reading skills.


Creative Corner:
Letter Learning Game

For little ones, learning the letters of the alphabet is a challenging task. All of those lines and curves appear impossible to distinguish, while typical alphabet drills tend to be dull and monotonous. However, disguising letter lessons as a game makes them exceptionally more fun!

Capture a child's interest by creating this alphabet craft project with them. It will help them progress through the stages of letter recognition. As a child helps you cut and build each magnet, they will also be refining their own motor skills, giving this project extra credit!
What You Need:

  • Scissors
  • Colored tagboard
  • Markers or crayons
  • Pictures from magazines or other printed images
  • Magnetic sheets (can be purchased at a craft or office supply store)
  • Refrigerator (or other magnetic surface)

What You Do:

  1. Begin by cutting out each letter of the alphabet from the colored tagboard. It is a good idea to use the uppercase style of each letter to begin with.
  2. After each letter has been cut out, trim a piece from the magnetic sheets and apply it to the back of each letter. The sheets generally have an adhesive on one side to stick to the tagboard shapes.
  3. With the child, assign a picture or image to the correct sound of each letter. For example, "A" can be associated with a picture of an apple, because it begins with the typical sound that the letter "A" makes.
  4. Once a child has decided on what image he associates with a particular letter, cut out a small rectangle from the tagboard and let your child draw each figure or paste a picture that was cut out from a magazine.
  5. Aid the child in sticking a small strip from the magnetic sheets to the backs of each image.
  6. Gather all the picture magnets and letter magnets and head to the refrigerator, or other magnetic surface. Laying out the letters on one side and the pictures on the opposite, ask the child to match the letters with their corresponding images. As he correctly matches each set, set these aside and progress through the entire alphabet.

From: Education.com