Mr. 4 has become very interested in reading and learning, I think mainly because his 'big bro' is a very independent learner and also partly because we encourage it a lot in our house.
Each week I put up a new word on the fridge for each son. They are each at a very different stage of learning, so the words account for that variation. It takes no time at all to prepare, especially when the template is done and you just update the new word. I have a few 'word of the week' templates saved and just print off the next one each Sunday night ready for the week ahead.
Some examples for my 4 year old learning his 2 letter words:
at - it - be - on - to - do - am - so
Some examples of the words my 6 year old is learning:
perseverance - versatile - isolated - contemplate - fortunate - collaborate - persuade - satisfy
(I also add the meaning and an example of the word for my older sons word).
Another step I have taken with my 4 year old to help him practice the words we learn, is a game he has called the 'car park game'. This is a great way to take something my son loves and use it to benefit both the fun element and the learning too.
Here I just printed off the page and added it to the quiet book I made for him a while back {link here} after laminating it.
Simply said, you get a few different cars and I challenge him by asking:
- "Can you drive the red car to the number 13?"
- "Can you drive the train to the word 'at'?" etc...
He gets such a kick out of it, but in all honesty I thought he would play with it for about 5 minutes. He carried it around with him for the majority of the day and just played. Little did he know he was actually practicing sight words. In my opinion, the best learning with kids is done when they are actually having fun!
Lauren x
Well, yesterday I had one of those days with my 3 year old where I bet grey hairs were getting ready to sprout and I wanted to tear every one of them out!
So. Today. New Day.
There are a tonne of things I could have done this morning, but I made the choice to focus on him today. I made up a game that he absolutely loved! Better than that, it cost me nothing and took minutes to create!
Whilst we used cars, you could use whatever you like for this (stuffed toys, dolls, a button collection, little toy farm animals etc). I am focusing on 1-20 numbers here, but again, do what your child is comfortable with (1-5, 1-10).
Bedtime is always a special time in our house, especially with our eldest son, as He understands the routine of story time, songs and prayers a bit more. Reading to my boys is a very important part of life in our house. I believe it teaches them, grows imagination (which i believe lacks alot these days) but it also creates a special bond with you and your child. Latley we have moved to the beginning of a new phase in 'story time' world. The world of bookmark books. By this I mean books that you can't finish in one sitting. Our first ever "bookmark book" was Peter Pan. He loved it! At(only just)4 years old, he doesn't necissarily remember everything that we read the previous night, but He is lapping it up and keeps asking for more!
READING TIPS VIA essortment
TWOS: 24-36 MONTHS
1) If your child was not talking much before now, she will probably start this year. Reading helps give her lots of words.
2) Older toddlers enjoy stories with repetition, so they can anticipate and follow along.
3) Simple concept books can be introduced, such as books about colors, shapes, or counting.
4) Two year olds are developing very specific likes and dislikes. Keep this in mind and let your child pick out books to hear.
5) This is the year children often make the transition between sturdy board books to paper picture books. Begin to set some limits on how books are treated, but expect your child to forget these rules.
PRESCHOOL: 3-4 YEARS
1) Most public libraries have a preschool story time. See about enrolling your child.
2) If your child watches television and videos, limit the amount of time and choose programs carefully.
3) Animal stories and other stories with a simple plot are popular with this age group. Silliness and exaggerated humor can be appreciated.
4) Illustrations are still a focal point, so choose books with lots of pictures.
5) Preschoolers can relate what they read to their world. Try a book about FARM animals after a trip to the fair, holiday books, or read about fire engines after you see one on the street.
PRESCHOOL: 4-5 YEARS
1) Pre-kindergarten children are ready for longer stories with fewer pictures.
2) Your child may become interested in the actual words on the page, and pretend to "read." Follow with your finger as you read, pointing to words as you say them. This teaches that we read from left to right and helps show the connection between print and language.
3) You will still enjoy rhyming text and repetition.
4) Some children are learning to recognize their letters or even write their names.
When your child enters school and begins to read on his own, that does not mean you should quit reading aloud. Keep feeding your child stories and language. Set aside twenty minutes a day for reading together. The results will be seen in the years to come.
Well I hope you have been encouraged and inspired to keep storytime alive in your house :)
Lauren x
Buy books online here:
1. Fish Pond
2. Amazon
3. Ebay
While my little man was napping the day before last, I cooked dinner and some cookies with my (almost) 4 year old boy. Whilst cookies were in the oven, I took the chance to have some teaching/ playing time with him. I got out a sheet that I quickly whipped up that looked like this and got a jar of buttons from my craft room. 
Then we spontaniously "played button games" (which I made up as we went). Some examples of these games are below:
* First I used the grid and put a red button in the first square, then a yellow one then red again (making a pattern of 2 colours: RED/YELLOW/RED/ YELLOW). Then we said the colours aloud together and he told me which one came next. Then I said "finish the pattern" and taught him what that meant. He placed buttons in the RYRYRY pattern to fill the grid.
* Then I did a pattern of three colours BLUE/YELLOW/ORANGE. So I put into the grid BLUE/YELLOW/ORANGE/BLUE......then he figured out he had to fill in the pattern by putting in the yellow then orange buttons squares and he kept it going to fill the 10 space grid.
* The circles we used for early addition skills. E.g. I have one in my circle. (1) How many in your circle? (1) Lets ADD them together 1 plus 1 = 2 buttons together. * (CATEGORY/ ATTRIBUTE LEARNING). Choose your favourite button and put it into the circle (they might pick a green/ shiny/ big one). Ask them "why is that your favourite?" Whatever reason they state is the attribute they have notified in their button. So, lets see if we can find any other green buttons and put the others in the different circle.
The sky is the limit with this activity and there are so many things you can teach but because it's fun, they think they atre playing!!! I could fill this page with activity ideas, but I will spare you :)
Lauren x
