Helping You Raise Smart & Healthy Kids
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Why Listening is an Essential Part of Learning How to Read
While developmentally-conscious parents institute storytime as a vital part of their household ritual, primary classrooms fill their schedules with “rhyme time” and daily songs. Any parent or teacher can tell you how much children love to listen to stories, songs, and rhymes.
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Is Baby Talk a Bad Thing?
Baby talk is the one language we all have in common when confronted with a small child. Despite how naturally it comes, an adult’s inclination to melt into a series of coos and sing-songy speech when in the presence of a baby has often been the topic of debate.
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What Should I Do if My Child is Having Trouble with Sight Words?
Soon after your child learns the alphabet, he or she will begin learning their sight words. Sight words are commonly seen words that do not follow the typical rules of spelling, like does, can, and the. Because of this, they can be difficult for children to decode and are taught through memorization at school.
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Milestones of Language Development in the First Two Years
The early years of your child’s life are an integral time for speech and language development. Like crawling before you walk, speech requires a combination of milestones that eventually build up to understandable language. The first two years are an exciting time in which your little one will go from babbling to speaking 2-3 word phrases.
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6 Simple Games to Strengthen Reading Skills at Home
Whether your child has just started discovering their letter sounds at home or is learning to read and write at school, you can support their reading development by playing simple games that require little to no prep.
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10 Autumn Enrichment Activities to Pair with Your Readings This Season
Enrichment activities are experiences that extend a child’s learning in various areas and help them to strengthen their skills. They are a fantastic way for children to discover new interests and are important for creating a positive attitude toward learning.
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Creating a Positive Learning Environment at Home
Your home is your child’s first classroom and you are their first teacher. The environment that you provide will determine how ready they will be to receive learning and expectations once they start school. It will also provide the foundation to how they approach life.
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Promoting Language Development at Home
Language development is highly linked to future academic achievement in children. Your child’s ability to communicate and express themselves is integral to moving through life. Naturally, you’ll want to do everything you can to promote proper growth in those first few years.
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Guided Reading Activities for Babies and Toddlers
Guided reading is an approach to storytime that promotes engagement and comprehension. It encourages thinking while listening and helps kids make stories more meaningful by making connections.
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How to Support Your 5 Year Old’s Social-Emotional Learning Through Singing, Dancing, and Play-Acting
Does your 5 year old want you to watch plays they’re putting on, listen to them sing, or watch them dance around? This is actually an important milestone for their Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Social-Emotional Learning is when your child uses their skills to form healthy identities, set and achieve their own goals, form and maintain healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions.
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How to Nurture Your 4 Year Old’s Communication Skills
Is your 4 year old starting to answer simple questions like, “what are hats for?” or “what are you doing?”? That’s wonderful news! This is a milestone for your child’s developing communication skills. Communication skills are more than just the ability to talk, they are an important part of your child’s language development.
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How to Support Your 5 Year Old’s Social-Emotional Development by Taking Turns
Does your 5 year old wait patiently for their turn on the slide at the playground? Or for their teacher to call on their raised hand at school? Or for their turn to choose the book for storytime at home (if taking turns with you or their siblings)? Taking turns is a big milestone in your child’s Social-Emotional development.
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