Talking Starts with Reading!
Reading to children at an early age is crucial to the development of their language skills. Take time to make the most of reading time with your child.
Read to your young children early and frequently
. It is never too
early
to start reading to children and that is why the Imagination Library begins at birth!
Reading with babies and young children helps in many ways, including how many words they know, how they talk and how they learn to read. Research finds that reading to your child often helps to ensure that they will be successful in school and in life. Parents should try to read to their children
every day
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Reading Buddies Events
Learn the importance of reading with your children from birth!
More events are in the works for the coming months.
Check out our calendar for updates!
T
o find out about other family friendly events this month, check out the
Continue to practice the Reading Buddies techniques to help your child develop language, communication, and reading comprehension skills!
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Holiday Learning Traditions
During the holiday season, consider adding some new traditions to your family that will make meaningful memories and strengthen foundations for reading and learning success.
- Listen to audio books when you are traveling to visit family or cooking for the holidays. For older children, keep some Imagination Library books in the car and ask them to tell you the story by describing the pictures.
- Read a holiday book that is a favorite with your family and then watch the movie. You can discuss the ways the two are alike or different, which will help your child's critical thinking skills.
- Print out the lyrics to your favorite holiday songs and sing them together as a family. Help your child follow along with the words on the page.
- Include your child in your holiday meal planning and preparation. Look at recipes together or write out shopping lists and ask your child to help you find the items in the store by reading labels and signs.
- Work on letters and writing skills by helping your child sign their own name in cards and thank you notes to relatives and friends.
- Set aside time just for reading. Curl up together and read aloud an old favorite or check out books on another culture's holiday traditions.
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Books for the Holiday Season
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Warm your hearts with these holiday stories, from old favorites to new delights. Th
ese books
about generosity, love, and friendship are perfect for the season, no matter what traditions you celebrate! Check out your local library for these titles:
- Hanukkah: A Counting Book in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish by: Emily Sper
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by: Dr. Seuss
- Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by: Robert Barry
- Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by: Andrea Pinkney, Brian Pinkney
- The Night Before Christmas by: Clement Moore, Tasha Tudor
- The Polar Express by: Chris Van Allsburg
- The Tomten by: Astrid Lindgren, Harald Wiberg
- The Trees of Dancing Ghosts by: Patricia Polacco
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Learning That's Hands-On Fun for the Winter Season
The cold weather often means more time indoors. Focus on kindergarten readiness and enjoy the winter season at the same time with these simple activities you can do at home.
- Winter's chill offers a different medium for writing and drawing. Let your children write on frosted windows or in the snow.
- Make a maze in the snow by shoveling a path in the driveway or on the sidewalk. Use directional words like "left", "right", "forwards", and "backwards" to reach the end.
- Talk about the steps involved in building a snowman. Use words like "first", "next", "afterwards", and "last". Draw the steps in order or go outside and put them into practice.
- Use safety scissors to cut paper into snowflakes. Hold them up to the window and talk about the shapes you see.
- When bundling up to head outdoors talk about each piece of clothing and what part of the body it goes on. Ex: "These are your mittens. Let's put them on your hands to keep your fingers warm."
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| NOT RECEIVING BOOKS? |
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If you are not receiving the books from the Imagination Library contact
Joanna Peters
at
814.456.2937
or [email protected].
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| CONNECT WITH US |
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Holiday Photo Contest
Take a photo of you and your child making reading a part of the holiday family traditions. Whether it's cuddling up together to read your favorite Imagination Library book or using one of the activity ideas from this newsletter - we want to see you!
S
hare the photo and a caption on our Facebook page or via Twitter between December 1st and 20th to be entered to win a $25 gift card.
You can also email photos to Joelyn Bush, via email at
for a chance to win.
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| FEATURED APP |
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Early Learning GPS
Early Learning GPS connects parents, grandparents and others to resources on child development which are customized based on feedback provided about a child's current phase. F
amilies answer up to 10 questions for great tips and reliable resources on helping their child learn and grow. Create a free map for your child to follow their milestones, save fun activities that will help them learn and grow, and compare child care programs. All information is from reliable sources like PA's Office of Child Development and Early Learning.
Early Learning GPS is now available as an
app
for the iPhone, Android and Kindle.
Get started with the Early Learning GPS. Download on the App Store, Google Play, or the Amazon App Store.
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