50 ways to teach your child to READ

Learning to read is not a crash course that kids take and are done with once they can read Dick and Jane without any help. Learning to read is developmental and starts when a newborn looks at you and hears you talking to them. Below are 50 pieces to the reading puzzle . 50 ways that you and your child can have fun knowing that they are working on early literacy development and learning to love books. This is not definitive checklist it’s a buffet of options to help support your child as they develop literacy skills and become independent readers. Find ideas that work for your family with your child and their current development. Click through the linked items for more details and how to do the activity with your child.
1.Read to your child.
2.Play rhyming games.
3.Sing the alphabet song with them.
4.Label things with their names from an early age.
5.Go to the library even when they are at that loud voice only stage.
6.Have non fiction books as well as fiction available .
7.Tell stories.
8.Have books all over your house.
9.Teach the letter sounds by emphasizing the sounds in words they hear often from a young age.
10.Provide fun and interesting books for them to read.
11.Get a magazine subscription and read it together.
12.Make play dough letters.
13.Play the alphabet game on road trips.
14.Read the mail together.
15.Make a reading nook.
16.Clap out syllables.
17.Make letter crafts.
18.Make reading play time .
19.Notice letters in the environment.
20.Learn about how books work and other concepts of print.
21.Let them choose their own books at the library or bookstore.
22.Leave them notes in their lunchboxes .
23.Play with foam letters in the bath. Use bath toys to make up and tell stories.
24.Make your own books.
25.Play eye spy with letters and letter sounds. ” I spy something that starts with the letter B. Buh buh book!”
26.Give your children books as gifts.
27.Make up silly songs together.
28.Ask them to read the pictures to you before they can read the words.
29.Play library.
30.Read the book then see the movie for a family treat.
31.Play with word families.
32.Read books with no words and share storytelling duties.
33.Let them see you reading for fun.
34.Read nursery rhymes.
35.Explore and trace tactile letters.
36.Play listening games.
37.Retell and have your children retell stories after reading them.
38.Ask your child questions about elements of the story as you read with them. This works on comprehension.
39.Read books at lunchtime .
40.Take books with you when you travel.
41.Build with letter blocks or make your own.
42.Do word searches.
43.Play sight word games.
44.Download an e-reader app on your smartphone and instead of handing them it to play a game make it a treat to use it to read.
45.Read comics and graphic novels with them.
46.Talk your your kids using regular words not “kiddie” words.
47.Read them poetry.
48.Get their bodies moving to learn letters.
49.Read them their favorite book over and over and over even if it’s making you want to poke your eyes out.
50.Make reading part of their bedtime routine from day one.

Making time to read to your child each night!

It’s not always easy to squeeze in those extra few minutes into your schedule no matter how much you want to. To ensure that you have time at the end of each night to read bedtime stories to your child, you may need to put some measures in place.

* Make it a priority. It’s not enough if you think it–do whatever it takes to make it work. Put it down on your schedule. Set a cell phone reminder to go off 5 minutes before your child’s bedtime. Let your spouse, boss and others know that you won’t be available during that time. Put ‘Reading to my son’ in your status message if you have to.

* Set realistic expectations. Experts may recommend reading for 20 minutes each night. Your child may demand 45. Figure out how much time you can actually spare and what is right for you and your child.

* Delegate. Don’t let household tasks such as doing dishes, picking up toys and paying bills prevent you from keeping your reading date with your child. Share responsibilities with your spouse, older children and other family members so that it frees up a few minutes for you to read.

* Trade off. If it’s next to impossible to find those 20-30 minutes of time to read to your child, stop and take a look at your daily schedule. Make adjustments to other activities as needed. You may need to swap carpool or other duties with your spouse or another parent, leave work a little early, wake up 30 minutes earlier or stay up a few minutes late to make up.

* Maximize reading time. Given that finding the time to read bedtime stories to children is a challenge in itself for many of us, we should be making every minute count. Store books near the child’s bed or somewhere in her room where it’s super-easy to reach them. Decide what you and your child are going to read this week or month ahead of time so you don’t spend any more time than you have to each night pondering over titles and staring at the book shelf.

It may seem like a small thing, but the few minutes you spend reading to your child at bedtime often pave the way for a restful 8 hours that follow and have the potential to inspire a lifelong love of reading ahead.

How to let your kid watch less TV?

There’s a lot of advice about how not to let your kids watch TV. But what’s the most important factor in helping young children to take in television responsibly?

Child development experts say that routinely plopping young children in front of the set when you’re feeling overwhelmed isn’t going to help their mental or physical health. But setting strict limits on kids’ screen time isn’t always effective either. And complete deprivation — removing sets from the family room and kids’ bedrooms — may not be a practical of limiting and controlling what youngsters watch.

What could help in teaching kids about how to watch not just the right amount, but also the best kind of television, is for parents to adopt responsible viewing habits themselves. According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, what’s most important in children’s viewing habits is how much TV (or DVDs or online entertainment) parents watch. The researchers interviewed 1550 parents with children 17 or younger about both their own and their children’s screen time, and when possible, they also asked the adolescents about how much television they watched.

The amount of TV the parents watched predicted the kids’ screen time, and this association was even stronger than that linked to parental restrictions on TV viewing, where the TVs were placed in the home, or how much television parents and children watched together.

On average, parents spent about four hours a day in front of a screen, and those who watched more media had kids who watched more. In fact, every hour that parents viewed TV was linked to nearly an additional half hour of screen time for their kids. There were some differences according to age, however. Restrictions on viewing had some effect for kids aged six to 11, and adolescents reported watching an hour more a day than their parents estimated.

This is especially important when it comes to screen time, since kids will not only imitate the quantity of parents’ viewing habits but the quality, say parenting experts. If you are using your screen time in unhealthy ways, your kids will pick up on that and follow suit.

Toddler tech: How young is too young for a smartphone?

(CBS News) Everyone has a smartphone these days, even toddlers. New research says 25 percent of kids 2 years old and younger have their own smartphones, which parents say is used as a learning tool for their kids.

However, experts say that this is way too young for children to be utilizing this type of technology and that the kids are not learning but are just being given the phone as a distraction. It is the same as putting a child in front of a television.

"A toddler should be rolling around, touching things, developing their brains and not checking out the latest YouTube video," said CBS News contributor Lee Woodruff 

One major reason why experts are concerned is that this type of smartphone use, at such a young age, can impede early development in areas that would impact the child for the rest of their lives.

Since childhood is a time for serious brain development, children could face problems with their basic social, verbal and learning skills.

Psychiatrist Gail Saltz told the "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-hosts that this type of smartphone use could actually hurt the child and that "this is really for babysitting purposes or the fear that your child can't be bored."

"These years are the years that you need to be developing vocabulary, which means speaking and listening, so if you're engaged in a gadget, you're really minimizing that," she said. "We've seen all kinds of data now on play and how important it is to, frankly, be bored and be stimulated to do imaginative play, what that does for building creativity."

She also said that one thing that most parents do not realize is that a smartphone is "structured time" and does not allow for free thinking.

You Can Do Everyday To Make Parenting Awesome!

Accept imperfection:  Parenting is a huge opportunity to  accept that everyone makes mistakes and that these mistakes are a chance to learn together, a wonderful time for reflection and an opportunity to problem solve and practice acceptance, forgiveness and compassion.

Smile: It’s contagious and brings happiness to the world.  After spending time apart, when you meet again, greet your child with a smile. When things are going not so great, breathe and try to think of something that makes you smile.  It’s simple and yet so powerful.

Listen:   Make time to listen to your child’s dreams, hopes and stories. Listen to the heartaches, the problems and the fears. Do not worry so much about fixing and solving problems, instead listen with the intent to be there, listen with a kind heart and strive to  be present and supportive.

Dare to be Ridiculous: You want your child to have courage, joy, happiness and a desire to find meaning in life? Dare to be ridiculous: dance together, laugh, laugh and laugh some more, invent, create, play, whatever it may be, step outside your comfort zone once a day. It’s worth every moment of connection and it models amazing qualities needed for success.

Be Encouraging: The more we can encourage, the more our children can flourish.   Look and celebrate process and progress, determination and courage. Face success and failures with compassion and with the intent to be supportive.

Expect Limits to be Tested: Know that limits and boundaries will be tested because your child is still learning and trying to understand how the world and relationships work.  Shift your expectations and face those test with determination, kindness and flexibility and guide your child towards better choices in positive ways.  

Communicate with Respect: Remember the impact that your voice has on your child’s inner voice and strive to communicate in ways that are respectful, positive and kind. Say yes as much as you can and say no when you really mean it.

Spend time together: Look for opportunities, no matter how short they may be, to truly connect with your child each day. It can be five minutes reading together, two minutes shared looking at a picture, 15 minutes playing a game or going out to lunch together, find those moments and be truly present with your child. Children that feel connected are naturally more cooperative.

Aim for Balance:  Make time for yourself to re-energize. Our children are learning not just from what we say but so much from watching us. Striving to lead a balanced life, which includes time for ourselves really matters.  When our own tanks are full, we can handle the ups and downs of parenting much better.

Choose Love: Things will get messy, loud, sticky, complicated and stressful.Choose love and building a relationship over proving you have power. Children learn so much when given a chance to fix their own mistakes. Choose love and over the years your child will feel capable and remember “my parents loved me so” and not  ”my parents always told me so”.

What is Positive Parenting? Its Benefits and Advantages

One of the most significant debating issues in the world of parenting is the manner which a parent can nurture and raise her children. In this effect, parenting methods assume lot of significance. Every parent has her own parenting style. Each one of them is special and unique. Conversely, there cannot be two similar parenting methods or techniques even though the foundation principles that back all parenting methods are almost similar. In other words, all parents want to give the best of life to their children. However, another question still lingers around in the minds of parents. In what manner parents can give the best of life to their children - You can ask this basic question to yourself. Some parents use a positive parenting style to nurture their children while others might use a method that borders on a sense of negativity.

Almost every other parenting expert recommends using a positive parenting style that ensures a positive parenting influence on the children. So, what is positive parenting style? Is there is special connotation attached to it? Are there any special techniques tagged to it? In a way, positive parenting is a style of parenting that depends on using positive principles and result-oriented techniques and methods. Now, let us understand the basic principles of positive parenting and in what manner you can use its principles to nurture your children.

Positive parenting is also known as a type of guidance to keep your children in the right momentum or place them on the correct path. With positive parenting, you can use a positive way to raise your children all the while resisting any urge or temptation to use a harsh or punitive disciplining method to correct children. In simple words, positive parenting is also known by the following words:

• Positive discipline
• Gentle guidance
• Loving guidance
• Affectionate guidance

With positive parenting, you can raise children who are responsible, dutiful, and considerate. Such children will also be happier, contended and resourceful. However, one can never attach any set of rules to positive parenting. Positive parenting is not about parenting style per se. Positive parenting is actually a method of leading a productive life with your children. In addition, life is free of fear, fright, scare and undue disciplining.

Inquiry Based Learning

"Inquiry based approaches to science education focus on student constructed learning as opposed to teacher-transmitted information" - Wilfred A. Franklin

Inquiry based learning is an old concept of learning. This form of learning is an educational concept that relies more on a learner's side of involvement than a teacher's intervention. This approach is quite different from a traditional mode of learning. In a conventional classroom, teachers use a system, where they come to the class with a set of pre-prepared course curriculum and deliver them to the students on a sequential mode. In fact, they are the active facilitators of teaching by providing a source of skills and knowledge to the students. The entire teaching process is teacher-driven, when the teacher manages and administers the entire proceedings.

On the other hand, an inquiry based learning system drives the students to learn in a productive manner. Here, the teacher or instructors act as mentors or guides to lead students to learn their lessons. The teacher-in-charge will allow the students to come with their own queries and questions that eventually help them learn with a motivated mind. 

Children are curious and motivated to know and learn anything that interests them. Their intense desire to learn new things, will lead them to design, create, master and experiment with different things and issues. In an inquiry based learning system, there are two important entities. A child will have his or her interests and motivation to drive the learning process. On the contrary, both parents and teachers just act as facilitators or mentors in the entire learning process. An inquiry based learning process is evolving and organic, apart from its dynamic and interactive nature. It means that a child, who uses this approach is very active when he or she gets an active interest in learning. An inquiry based learning process involves the following important factors:

New discovery - Something interests and intrigues children that eventually force them to know more about it. This intriguing thing can fuel a child's imagination and drive to learn more. This very precious response system works very well for any child. An urge or drive to explore new domains or things will help a child to try his or her maximum best to master the basics of lessons.

A sense of action to drive the learning process - Although children are busy learning their lessons, teachers keep observing and mentoring their activities. They will also provide many opportunities to children to ask their questions and seek clarifications. During the process of learning, children start collecting information and details regarding the lessons. In this way, children will interact with other children to learn on a mutual basis. Team learning is an excellent way to learn new things and lessons.

Results or outcome - At the end of the learning process, the children will assess their performance with the active help from their teachers. This step is a reflection period, when children compare their performance level and later assess what can be done to improve their performance. The teacher, who is in charge, will help them in the process. Once children feel confident, they can probe and test new areas, domains and territories. The outcome is academic excellence, cooperation and teamwork.

Improve your Child's Concentration

Some children may show extreme difficulty while concentrating on their studies and other activities. These signs may include fickle mindedness, fidgeting, not paying attention, when someone speaks to them and getting forgetful from time to time. It could be frustrating for parents to see their children facing such a delicate situation. Most parents may also simply fail to notice that their children have very poor level of concentration. Experts suggest that lapses in concentration could be a detrimental factor in a child's life and parents must pay their attention to set right this condition as soon as possible. Simply speaking, concentration is the ability to focus on a specific task for a reasonable period.

A perceived lack of concentration could be due to a number of reasons and causes, most of which depend on the age and health status of the child. Concentration and attention in children are a matter of extreme interest in parenting, because of their usability and importance in achieving academic success. Intelligence and academic skills are just small parts of the final formula for your child's educational success.

Educational experts also feel that the ability to concentrate is a very soft skill that can have adverse impact on the learning process. In essence, most of the parents often make a trivial issue by hoping that their children will control their abilities to pay attention. What they may not realize is that a lack of an ability to concentrate on daily chorus and classroom work could be a serious issue that could derail their career achievements. As a parent, you may wish to know why children lose their focus and concentration, when they are doing some work and those reasons that cause an inability to concentrate on important things.

Here are some of them:

Not enough sleep: Tiredness and fatigue that occur because of insufficient sleep could be very good reasons for your child to lose concentration. Putting your child to a good night's sleep will help him or her to develop concentration and focus.

Lack of motivation and absence of interest: If your child loses interest in the work, he or she may lose concentration very easily. Lack of motivation is another factor that has lot of bearing on your child's ability to develop the power of concentration. This usually happen to a gifted child who is advanced in the subject. 

Health status: Weak health status could be one of the important reasons for your child to lose focus and concentration. Weak glandular functions, dehydration and bad eating habits may also contribute to poor levels of concentration. You may wish to force your child to eat better food and snacks, instead of all those junk and oil rich fast food snacks.

Ambient conditions: Intensive activity, extreme noise and a disturbing surrounding could be other factors that could affect your child's ability to concentrate.

Lack of exercise: Children need optimal amount of exercise per day to rejuvenate their body and mind. Lethargy and laziness are the byproducts of those children, who simply sit in front of TV for hours together.

Trouble with teachers: Some children may not like a particular teacher for some unknown reasons. You may need to resolve this issue by interacting with that teacher.

Grief and sadness: If there is a tragedy in your family or of the child is sad due to something, he or she may find concentrating very difficult.