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The following link from Zero to Three discusses the role the early years play in literacy and brain development. Why and how does the development of literacy skills begin long before children learn to read and write?
The article also emphasizes the importance of relationships in the early years:
"The development of strong attachment relationships with family and primary caregivers may be the central task of infancy. It is in the context of warm, loving relationships that infants learn to trust, to feel safe exploring their worlds, and to develop a sense of competence and confidence in their own ability to master new skills. This growing sense of self-esteem and personal identity prepares them for later success as communication partners, readers, and writers."
Read the full article here.
Aug 5, 2010 by Jenn Reid |
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For many families, "back to school" time is just around the corner. Whether your child is starting school for the first time or moving on to a new grade level, this time of year is a time a change. Change can bring about feelings of excitement as well as uncertainty.
For ways to help your child prepare for a new school year, see the Center article, Helping School Age Children Prepare For a New Teacher. This article discusses some of the ways parents can help their child feel prepared for the changes that a new school year can bring. Below is an excerpt:
"The single most important way to prepare for a change is to talk. It is possible that a child will want to avoid thinking about his upcoming year. [...] Parents should find ways to bring up the next year, talk about what they do know, and help their son or daughter wonder about what he or she does not know."
Books and reading together with your young child provide an excellent avenue for opening up discussions, especially about topics that are challenging. For books on the topic of separation and autonomy, see our second book list, Feeling strong on my own. These books were selected specifically to help children think about and prepare for time away from their parents and in new experiences, a part of every new school year.
Jun 8, 2010 by Jenn Reid |
Filed in: Book Club
Our two week reading festival, Bookmarked!, was a huge success and lots of fun for all of us, ending with an entertaining and inspiring weekend with author Judith Viorst. To see photos from Ms. Viorst's reading event at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, as well as other reading events throughout the Triangle, click here.
May 19, 2010 by Jenn Reid |
Filed in: Book Club
The kick-off of Bookmarked!, Lucy's Book Club's two week long festival of reading is right around the corner! Join us at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh this Saturday, May 22, at 10:00 AM, for our first public reading event. Our guest reader at this event will be Lucy Daniels!
Quail Ridge Books is also hosting a book fair featuring all 44 of the Lucy's Book Club books from the 2009-2010 booklists. The book fair will run from May 22 through June 6, 2010.
This is an excellent time to purchase your own copies or copies for gifts and benefit the Lucy Daniels Center's Family Support Fund at the same time.
Twenty percent of total book sale receipts will go to the Lucy Daniels Center's Family Support Fund. This fund makes up the gap between what families receiving services at the Center can afford to pay and the actual cost of providing services.
Click here for a reading event near you!
May 5, 2010 by Jenn Reid |
Filed in: Book Club
Lucy's Book Club's fourth topic, Becoming a big brother or big sister, is available now! You may view and print the current booklist and bookmark from our website, or you can visit your local Wake County Public Library or other Lucy's Book Club partners for your free bookmark. All ten books, plus the parent selection, are on display at the Lucy Daniels Center.
Check back soon for posts related to this topic! If you have a specific question, please contact us.
Have you heard about our upcoming community event? Take a look under the tab Bookmarked! Event for all of the current details about this exciting two week long series of events. There will be multiple opportunities for you and your child to attend a free Lucy's Book Club reading beginning May 22nd, including a reading by our special guest, author Judith Viorst, at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh on Saturday, June 5th, at 10:00 a.m.
Bookmarked! A celebration of reading with children will feature a Lucy’s Book Club book fair at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh and two weeks of free celebrity heroes readings for young children and their parents at venues across Wake County, culminating in a special fundraising event, An Evening with Judith Viorst, acclaimed author and poet, on Sunday, June 6.
More details to come! In the meantime, take a look at the information we have posted online.
One way to encourage creative and imaginative thinking is to help children find ways to expand story topics beyond the pages of a book. When ideas can be transferred from one experience (e.g., reading a story) to another (e.g., a real life experience) they become more meaningful. A child's ability to link abstract ideas to concrete experiences is an important part of early childhood cognitive development as well as the development of higher thinking and reasoning.
With the arrival of spring, many children and families begin to spend more time outside. The book, It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw, is a collection of simple white shapes that all turn out to be a cloud in the sky. This book can easily be extended to an outside activity. What do the clouds in the sky look like to you? With a notebook and pencil in hand, you and your child can venture out and make your own version of a book like It Looked Like Spilt Milk. Encourage your child to look hard and think creatively to see different objects in the shapes of the clouds. If your child is up for the task, have him draw or paint the shapes. Other possibilities include cutting out abstract shapes of white paper or felt and gluing them onto a piece of paper or into a notebook. Add labels (either child-written or dictated to you by your child) to the pictures to complete the book.
If you and your child create your own version of It Looked Like Spilt Milk, feel free to send a copy to us for the possibility of being featured on our website! The first family to respond will receive a copy of It Looked Like Spilt Milk. Happy cloud watching!
Send your submissions to jreid@lucydanielscenter.org.
Click here for additional tips on reading together with young children.
Our current booklist, Imagine that!, features books that encourage and inspire imagination in early childhood. The following article, Developing a Child's Imagination Skills, discusses some of the reasons why imagination is such an important part of early childhood:
"[R]esearch has shown that children who have an active imagination and use it well tend to:
- play better with other children
- do well in school
- be able to handle anger and other emotions better
- be happier
- better able to amuse themselves and play on their own."
The article also discusses how reading plays an important role in the development of imagination skills:
"Reading and developing a long-term appetite for books is one of the best ways of generating a child’s imagination skills. Picture books are great for early learners, helping both language, vocabulary and reading skills, as well as fuelling their imagination. When you’re first developing an interest in books, choose picture books that are colourful, fun and interactive.
Make use of the services at your local library to introduce your toddler to a wide range of different books and try out a range of topics. You’re likely to soon find favourites that he’ll want to hear over and over again."
Read the full article here: Early Childhood Education: Developing a child's imagination skills
For our complete list of recommended books that stimulate the mind and encourage imagination, please click here.
Have you ever wondered how and when children learn to write? What do scribbles mean and what purpose do they serve?
Learning to draw and write, much like learning to talk, is a process that evolves over time. The following article from Zero to Three (National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families) describes some of the steps in this process. In addition, some tips on how to encourage drawing and writing are included.
A Scribble or a Masterpiece? How Your Child's Writing and Art Changes Over Time
The following is an interesting and practical article for parents about play from zerotothree.org. Play is an important part of early childhood and is much more than simply a way to pass time. Discover some of the facts and myths about play with a short true/false quiz, and learn about developmentally appropriate play for young children and why children repeat the same type of play, and more!
The Truth About Play by Rebecca Parlakian and Claire Lerner (Zero to Three)
For more information about the importance of play and to answer other questions related to this topic, check out the following Lucy Daniels Center articles:
Are Toy Guns Ever OK?
Taming Monsters with Imagination
