On Saturday, February 26, 2022 we're going to sing our hearts out to the Black National Anthem, praised for its power in voicing a cry for liberation and affirmation for African-American people.
Handout: Sing into Reading Handout: Talk, Read, and Sing Together Every Day Handouts: Tips for Families When you talk, read and sing with your child – even before they can use words – you’re helping them learn. And making them happier too! Research shows that talking, reading and singing with your child every day from birth helps build their brains as well as important language, math, reading and social skills for use in school and beyond. Talk, read and sing with your child in the language you are most comfortable using. You probably naturally talk to your baby about the events of the day. Keep doing it, and do it more! The more words and conversations you share together, the better prepared they will be to learn. You are your baby’s first teacher! For children with disabilities or delays, communicate with your service providers and keep each other informed about the strategies you are using to enhance their language environment. On Saturday, February 19, 2022 we are going to recite the "I Have A Dream" speech to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was known to do encourage people of all races to do the right thing.
Handout: Kid Basics Key Messages 1. Parents have an important role teaching our young children what behaviors are appropriate, safe and acceptable. We can respond to their behavior in ways that help children learn. Teaching in this way is called discipline. 2. Some ways we support the positive and desired behaviors of children are by: - Giving the child forewarning know when a change is going to happen (eg, when it’s time to put away toys and get ready for lunch) - Focusing on “do’s” versus “don’ts” - Noticing and pointing out good behavior - Providing support and guidance for the child to develop self-control and manage emotions - Setting fair, simple rules that the child can follow and keep those rules Children are learning how to express themselves, how to get along with others, and how to manage their feelings. With positive discipline from you, time and opportunities to practice, children learn to share, cooperate, and make good choices. Children learn from our example. Practice the kind of behavior you expect from them. On Saturday, February 12, 2022 we are going to cut diamonds, squares, and triangles to make rocket ships to honor the late Katherine Johnson. She loved math and helped NASA put an astronaut into orbit around Earth. Later on, she helped put a man on the Moon.
Handout: Help Your Child Learn Shapes Learning Shapes Teaches Children: - about size - how to compare and contrast objects - how to recognize differences, which helps them to later recognize differences in written numbers and letters - how to use descriptive words, such as, big, small, same, and different - how to categorize items into groups Try It At Home! - Point out shapes that you see at home, in the park, at the store, or any other place you go - Have your child help you with chores, such as doing the laundry or putting dishes away, to work on sorting items into categories - Ask children to answer the question “is this bigger, smaller, or the same?” with different items - Cut up old sponges into different shapes and allow your child to play with them in the bath or to paint with them Saturday, February 5, 2022 - we're going to make traffic lights on construction paper to honor the late Garret Morgan, an African-American engineer who created the first traffic light that included the yellow light which is standard today. Caregivers will strengthen their children's recognition of the alphabet when we spell out the colors of the traffic lights: R-E-D, Y-E-L-L-O-W, and G-R-E-E-N!
Handout: Alphabet Recognition Handout: Alphabet Tip Sheet Research has shown that children who can recognize letters of the alphabet have an easier time learn- ing to make connections between the letters and the sounds they stand for. Children need to memorize the letter names, and they can do this through direct instruction along with many exposures to the letters in print. Practice with writing the letters is a proven method for building and reinforcing letter recognition. Here are some activities for helping children develop their alphabet recognition skills: 1. Teach letter names before children learn the sounds with which they are associated. Teach the child the alphabet song (provided in the Reading-tutors tutor teaching tips lesson) and sing it daily. Point to the letters of the alphabet as you sing the song with the child. 2. Provide the letters in different forms: printed on cards, cut out from pieces of fabric, especially felt or fuzzy materials, or cut out from materials such as sandpaper or Styrofoam. Have the child trace the letter with her or his finger as she or he says the letter name. 3. Have the child make the letter out of clay, pipe cleaners, finger paint, or form the letter with her or his body. 4. Teach the child the letters of her or his name. Some pairs of letters are easily confused. It is best to avoid teaching them together. Allow enough time for the child to learn one letter before introducing the other letter. These pairs include: lowercase: b-d, m-n, m-w, g-p, g-q, n-u, p-q, u-v, v-w, f-t, c-o, b-p, c-e, a-o, b-h, h-n, i-j, i-l, and v-y uppercase: C-G, O-Q, I-L, M-N, M-W, K-X, C-G, E-F, U-V, V-Y, D-O, and P-R. 5. Young children often find letters in the following groups confusing. These letters should not be taught at the same time. e, a, s, c, o b, d, p, o, g, h f, l, t, k, i n, m, u, h, r 6. Provide practice in writing the letters. Let the child write the letters on unlined paper first. Students can use paint or finger paint or pencils. Reading-tutors.com provides letter writing practice pages for the child in the two most common letter-writing styles: Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian. Be consistent, and use only one style of writing. 7. Write a series of words on a piece of paper, for example, box, ran, back, fan, boy. Ask the child to circle all the words that begin with a letter, in this case, the letter b. 8. Select a letter for the day and write it on a large sheet of card stock. Have the child cut out words from old magazines that start with that letter. The child can also add her or his drawings of things that start with that letter. Meal Time Can Be A Learning Opportunity! (handout)
Book of the Week: Please purchase or borrow "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to read along with us during KPL.
Grocery Shopping Can Be A Learning Opportunity (handout)
Book of the Week: please purchase or borrow "Supermarket" to read along with us during KPL.
Bath Time Can Be A Learning Opportunity! (handout)
Bath Time (handout)
Talk, Read, and Sing Together Every Day! (handout)
Download the caregiver handout to learn more about your baby by watching for developmental milestones. Smiling, cooing, and babbling are just a few. Your baby will show you many more milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves! Look for your child’s milestones regularly and share his progress with the doctor at every well-child visit. It’s never too early to start talking, reading, and singing with your baby. Talking back and forth with your baby by responding to her smiles, coos, and babbling helps your baby learn language. Learning language helps your baby learn lots of other important skills. If you are ever worried about your child’s development, don’t wait! Acting early can make a big difference. Remember, you know your child best. Talk with your child’s doctor if you have concerns. Get tips to help you prepare at cdc.gov/Concerned.
Sing Into Reading (handout)
What Are The Six Early Reading Skills? 1. Vocabulary- Knowing the names of things 2. Print Motivation- Being interested in and enjoying books 3. Print Awareness- Noticing print, how to handle a book, how to follow words on a page 4. Letter Knowledge- Knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds 5. Narrative Skills- Being able to describe things and events and tell stories 6. Phonological Awareness- Being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words How Does Singing Help Teach Children These Skills? Our brains are uniquely wired to respond to music, from before the time we are born. Because singing is interactive, it involves even the youngest children in language. Children learn language through repetition, and as songs are repeated the rhythm of the words is internalized. Singing brings a natural awareness of words, as each syllable or sound in a word gets a different note. Nursery rhymes and finger plays present a wide vocabulary, and teach sentence structure, story concepts and comprehension. The only things we remember word-for-word from our childhoods, are childhood songs and some rhymes! Children learn oral language before written language, and the more experience they have with oral language, the better prepared they will be for interpreting written words. Active participation in music (singing) increases retention, builds memory, and actually helps grow the brain in young children! Because children naturally love to sing, there is no “teaching,” just doing!
Learn To Play With Friends (handout)
Learning To Play With Others Teaches Children: 1. How to take turns and share 2. How to help and comfort others 3. How to recognize the needs of others and understand their emotions 4. How to interact in a group situation These skills help children be successful at school where they will need to get along with others and work in a group setting Remember, you are your child’s first and most important teacher! The skills you help them learn now can have a BIG impact later! |
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