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KINDERSPARK! Talk, Sing, Read, Write, Play, and Count with these enjoyable pre-reading, math, and social-emotional experiences, ideas, and activities that prepare your children for future success!
Head to ppld.org/virtual to see what’s going on at Pikes Peak Library District. We are always available for questions and resources while your children are growing and changing. Find early literacy resources, books suggestions, activity ideas, program information, and more at ppld.org/kids! PPLD Family & Children’s Services
talk
As children hear spoken language they learn new words and what they mean. You can expand on what your child communicates. For example, “Yes, that is a truck! It’s called a fire truck.” Talk anywhere: Converse with your child as you prepare meals, do chores, run errands - any time is a good time for conversation!
WORDLESS & NEARLY WORDLESS BOOKS Wordless or nearly wordless books must tell a story without text, so they are a great tool to build reading comprehension. You can tell the story, encourage your child to tell it, or ask your child questions and talk about the story together. These activities build your child’s imagination, oral skills, vocabulary, and even knowledge of the features of a story like plot and character. Below are some good starting questions.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS What do you see? Who is here?
SETTING
CHARACTERS
PREDICTIONS
What’s the season or weather? Where is this? What is familiar or unusual?
What are they thinking or feeling? What do they want and why?
What might happen next? What choices could a character make?
CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME WORDLESS BOOKS!
Learn more at whatdowedoallday.com/tips-for-reading-wordless-picture-books/
talk
TALK About Town Activity & Coloring Page
You’ve got several errands to run in town today. Talk to your child and trace out how you’ll plan your route. This is great for building background knowledge, logical thinking, and even YOU’VE GOT ERRANDS TO RUN IN TOWN TODAY. sequencing skills!SEVERAL Errand ideas below: Talk to your child and trace out how you’ll plan your route. This is great for building background
Mail a package at the post office by 12:00. • Pick up flowers or cupcakes to bring to a relative. • friend Mail aor package at the post office by noon. • Stop for lunch. (Home? Restaurant? Or a • Pick up flowers or cupcakes to bring to a picnic at the park?) friend or relative. • 10:00 Dentist or Vet appointment. • Stop for lunch. (Home? Restaurant? Or a • Pick up _________ after school lets out. picnic at the park?) •
•
Visit the library! Buy milk at the grocery store.
knowledge, logical thinking, and even sequencing skills! Below are some errand ideas. •
• 10 a.m. dentist or vet appointment. • Pick up _________ after school lets out. • Visit the library! • Buy milk at the grocery store.
HOME 4
talk WHAT ARE THESE FACES FEELING? Below are some words to help inspire your conversation.
GLAD
SAD
MAD
AFRAID
OTHER
• Happy
• Gloomy
• Annoyed
• Uncomfortable
• Shy
• Pleased
• Unhappy
• Mean
• Worried
• Curious
• Cheerful
• Blue
• Grouchy
• Concerned
• Weird
• Safe
• Hurt
• Cranky
• Scared
• Confused
• Relaxed
• Sorry
• Frustrated
• Fearful
• Surprised
• Delighted
• Lonely
• Impatient
• Frightened
• Jealous
• Ashamed
• Bored
talk NARRATIVE SKILLS ARE EARLY LITERACY SKILLS THAT RESEARCHERS SAY ARE IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN to have in order to learn to read. Narrative skills help children understand and hear what they read, and include being able to describe things, tell events in order, and retell stories. Knowing the “beginning,” “middle,” and “end” of a story is an important skill for children to have before starting school. Try reading the story of the Three Little Pigs provided below. Cut out the strips of paper, cutting a notch at each end where the line is and then wrapping around your finger – fitting the notches together to hold in place. Retell and act out the story with your child. ASK THESE QUESTIONS AND HELP THEM FILL IN THE DETAILS: • How did the story start?
• What happened next?
• Then what happened?
• How did the story end?
talk
THE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
Mama Pig
said goodbye to her
Each pig built a house: one of straw
children.
, one of sticks
, and the other of bricks
The wolf
huffed and puffed and blew down the straw house
.
The wolf
huffed and puffed and blew down the stick house
The wolf
huffed and puffed but could not blow down the house of bricks
.
.
.
sing Singing slows down language, so it helps children hear the different sounds in words. Try clapping out each syllable while singing for extra emphasis or use shakers.
AT HOME: Sing familiar songs and nursery rhymes so children hear the different sounds in words.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it, If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
NOW: Now, try changing the emotion and the action to change the song: If you’re ____________ and you know it, ____________ . If you’re ____________ and you know it, ____________ . If you're ____________ and you know it, and you really want to show it, If you’re ____________ and you know it, ____________ .
sing
• Try "The Alphabet Song" sung to the tune of a favorite song. • Try singing your child’s favorite songs to different tunes such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or "The Wheels on the Bus.” • Write the names of songs on index cards or squares of paper and place them in a box. When your child needs an activity to do, pick one of the titles and sing it together. As you learn new songs, put them in the box, too.
sing AT HOME WITH INSTRUMENTS: DRUMMING FUN! Most anything can become a drum! Pots, pans, boxes, tables, etc. Make your own decorative drum using an oatmeal container or shoe box. Decorate the outside with colorful pictures, shapes, and stickers. Then get drumming! You can make an instrument out of any household item.
PAPER TOWEL TUBE KAZOOS What you’ll need: Paper towel tube, wax paper, and a rubber band. LET’S MAKE IT: Cut a square out of the wax paper large enough to completely cover the end of the paper towel tube. Wrap the wax paper around the end of the tube and secure tightly with a rubber band. Decorate as you please and play by humming or singing into the tube.
sing AT HOME WITH BOOKS! PICTURE BOOKS WITH A BEAT: There are a lot of picture books that you can sing or chant. Try singing or chanting with these titles! • Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef by Marianne Collins Berkes
• Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming
• Hooray for Birds! by Lucy Cousins • Dancing Feet! by Lindsey Craig
• Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin
• Stretch by Doreen Cronin
• The Croaky Pokey! by Ethan Long
• Wiggle by Doreen Cronin
• The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort
read
Reading together is the most important way to help children get ready to read. Make shared reading interactive by: • Making predictions • Asking and answering questions • Retelling the stories
WHEN CHILDREN RECOGNIZE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET and know the sounds they make, they are on their way to learning to read! Ask children what sounds the letters make. • Talk about the shapes and mention that letters are everywhere in our world. • Look for letters around you. • Attach labels to different things in your home so they see the words over and over, i.e. table, chair, window, etc. OTHER WAYS TO PRACTICE READING Go on an Alphabet Hunt: • Gather a stack of old magazines, catalogs, sales flyers, or newspapers. Search for letters, such as the first letter of your child’s name. • Create an alphabet book with one page for each letter. Starting with “Aa,” write the letter on the page and have your child look for that letter in magazines. Cut out or draw pictures of things that begin with each letter. Create a Word Bucket: • Decorate and label your word bucket. • Whenever your child learns a new word, write it down on a piece of paper and add it to the bucket. • Pull words out of the bucket and read them together. Be an Author: • Make a book by stapling or taping blank paper together. • Ask your child to tell a story by drawing a picture on each page. • Write down the story as they tell it to you. Let them read the book to you.
read THE JOYS OF NON-FICTION Some children don’t enjoy listening to stories. Often these children prefer informational (non-fiction) books. • Don’t be afraid to use difficult ideas and words with your children. • No need to read information books from cover to cover. See what parts interest your child and read those parts or summarize what is in the text.
write
Writing and scribbling are activities that help children develop the skills they need to learn how to read. Children build the small muscles in their fingers by practicing activities that encourage the “pincer-grasp,” such as holding a crayon. Even children as young as eight months are already practicing this skill when they pick up small objects, like pieces of food, with their thumb and forefinger.
HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO PRACTICE PRE-WRITING SKILLS: • At home, keep paper and crayons on a table where children can return again and again. • Use magnetic letters on the refrigerator to spell words. • For babies eating solid food, such as Cheerios, scatter some on their highchair tray and let them practice feeding themselves. • Practice buttoning and unbuttoning with large buttons, and try lacing and unlacing shoes. HAVE FUN WITH PLAYDOUGH • Roll, squish, and shape the dough. • Write your child’s name on a piece of paper. Have your child make playdough letters to cover it. • Roll the playdough into a snake and practice your cutting skills, cutting the dough into small pieces. • Use different utensils to create designs in the playdough. • Smash it up and start over! THE ULTIMATE NO-COOK, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER PLAYDOUGH RECIPE howweelearn.com/the-best-easy-no-cook-play-doh-recipe/ • 1 ½ cups flour
Dump all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix it all together.
• ½ cup salt
Then add in the boiling water and stir. You can add the food coloring
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
directly to the boiling water for easy color mixing. Or, if you want
• 2 tablespoons oil
divided playdough. Knead the playdough a few times, and it will
• 1 cup boiling water
become perfectly smooth.
different colors, you can add the food coloring at the end into the
scissors
Don’t be afraid of scissors! Many children enter kindergarten without knowing how to use scissors. Learning how to use scissors plays an important role in developing fine motor skills young children need in order to hold pencils and crayons. Having strong motor skills will help
children as they begin the process of learning how to write.
CUTTING IS ABOUT MORE THAN HOLDING, OPENING, AND CLOSING THE SCISSORS. Children need to be able to sit up appropriately and have good balance and stability to cut effectively. • To help your child remember how to hold a pair of scissors, draw a smiley face on the thumbnail of your child’s cutting hand. The smiley face reminds them to keep their thumb up when cutting. • Cutting paper can be tricky; practice cutting playdough first. • Cardstock is easier to cut than paper. Let your child cut old greeting cards or old playing cards. • Provide activities that use tools, such as tongs, hole punches, tweezers, eyedroppers, and clothespins to strengthen fine motor skills necessary for cutting.
IT MIGHT SOUND EASY, BUT TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN HOW TO CUT WITH SCISSORS IS A VERY COMPLEX TASK. Try using this rhyme to help your child remember how to hold and use scissors properly:
Two fingers on the bottom and the thumb on top. Open the mouth and go chop, chop, chop.
scissors WRITE Use these pages to practice your cutting
Square
Rectangle
Triangle
Circle
Oval
Diamond (Rhombus)
Star
Heart
Pentagon
R
CONSTRUCTION scissor cutting practice
Makeovers
& motherhood makeoversandmotherhood.com
(wavy lines)
Graphics by Melissa Bastow (Dorky Prints Etsy shop)
scissors WRITE UNDE Use these pages to practice your cutting
R
CONSTRUCTION scissor cutting practice
Makeovers
& motherhood makeoversandmotherhood.com
(straight lines)
Graphics by Melissa Bastow (Dorky Prints Etsy shop)
play
Mr. Rogers famously said, “Play is the work of childhood.” Consider playtime as your child’s career. When children play, they are working hard at learning about and understanding their world. Play helps children think symbolically, so they understand that spoken and written words can stand for real objects and experiences. Play also helps children express themselves and put thoughts into words.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRETEND PLAY Imagination is key. Imaginative play and making up stories helps children learn that a story has a beginning, middle, and end, and that objects can be used to represent other things: a broom is a horse; a toilet paper roll is a telescope; etc. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas. When children take part in pretend play, they: • Learn to play cooperatively with others and to take turns.
• Develop problem solving skills.
• Learn to creatively solve problems.
• Develop fine motor skills that will be used for writing.
• Learn to understand and respect the feelings of others. • Learn new words. • Can act out and extend stories they have heard.
• Learn about the world around them.
• Refine gross motor skills like crawling, jumping, and running.
play
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS
LANGUAGE SKILLS
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
DOES YOUR CHILD ENJOY A BIT OF ROUGHHOUSING? GREAT! Some researchers in early brain development believe that this sort of play helps develop the part of the brain (the frontal lobe) that regulates behavior. So instead of worrying that this type of activity will encourage your child to act out or become too aggressive, be assured that within a monitored situation, roughhouse play can actually help your child learn the self-regulation skills needed to know how and when this type of play is appropriate.
THE ONLY REQUIREMENTS FOR PRETEND PLAY ARE TIME, SPACE, AND ENCOURAGEMENT!
count on it Understanding number relationships early in life means
greater success in math through 5th grade and beyond. A child’s math knowledge grows as they do, which means they need a good foundation.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR FAMILIES AT HOME? • Introduce infants and toddlers to spatial words, such as “over,” “under,” “next to,” “above,” and “below.” • Encourage your child to separate things into groups by colors or materials. • Introduce your child to numbers, counting, and shapes. • Help preschoolers understand phrases related to math, such as “more than,” “less than,” and “equal to.” • Play with number cards and line them up in order. • Show your child that you value numbers, even if you feel you are not good at math. • Help your child understand that being good at math is about working hard, not about being born “smart.” • For more information visit www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/index.html
PRACTICE LEARNING TO COUNT WHILE READING THESE FUN TITLES!
count on it GROCERY COUNT Your daily routine provides many opportunities to practice early literacy and pre-math skills with your child. The grocery store is a perfect place to strengthen nearly every skill mentioned in this booklet! Build your child’s vocabulary by naming fruits and vegetables and reading letters and words on signs. Turn a chore into a fun learning opportunity!
NEXT TIME YOU ARE SHOPPING, TRY THESE ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR CHILD: Find apples
. How many colors do you see?
Can you find a sign with the number two .on it? Stand with your back to the cereal Is your hand bigger than a can
. How many steps is it to the other side?
.of vegetables?
How many shelves tall is your grocery cart How many people
?
. are waiting in line to check out?
count on it
HOW MANY DO YOU SEE? Cats: _________________
Alligators: _________________
Cows: _________________
Bunnies: _________________
Ducks: _________________
Frogs: _________________
Dogs: _________________