Challenge yourself to read, sing, talk, play and write with your child in new ways this week!

There are many apps, websites, and other technological tools available to help both children and adults improve their reading, writing, and spelling skills. Here are just a few of the best iPad/iPhone apps that are especially good for children who are struggling with dyslexia.

Challenge yourself to read, sing, talk, play and write with your child in new ways this week!

Challenge yourself to read, sing, talk, play and write with your child in new ways this week.

Challenge yourself to read, sing, talk, play, and write with your child in new ways this week!

What are rare words, where can you find them, and why do they matter?

Rare words are those beyond the 10,000 words known as our Common Lexicon used in most daily conversation with each other.

You can find a great many rare words in children’s books. Children’s books have 30 rare words per thousand, while conversations between an adult and 3-year-old child typically include 9 rare words per thousand (JimTrelease: The Read-Aloud Handbook.) 

Quality children’s picture books are filled with rare words. Consider Byron Barton’s I Want to Be an Astronaut, a picture book for toddlers and preschoolers. It includes words like shuttle, mission, and gravity. These are words you might not use in everyday conversation with your young child. When you read this book aloud, you introduce him to these words, and they become part of his growing vocabulary.

Why is this important? Studies show that a child’s vocabulary upon entering school is the number one indicator of whether he will be a good reader. Trelease reminds us that by the time a child is 5-years-old, he will know 90% of the words he will use for the rest of his life. The eventual strength of your child’s vocabulary depends on how many of these rare words he knows. And the child who has heard thousands of picture books before he reaches school will have a larger vocabulary than the child that experiences very few books during his early years. 

There are thousands of vocabulary-rich books for young children. Check out the below sampling, but know it is the tip of an enormous iceberg. Visit the library often, attend storytime, and let us help your child develop a rich vocabulary through picture books.

I remember when my son was younger. While looking at the cereal box during breakfast, he put his head in his hands and sighed, “I wish I could read what this says!” He wanted so badly to read, but he could not seem to remember his letters and sounds from day to day.

If your preschooler can't get enough of cutting, drawing and painting, check out Hands on Art at the Main Library this Friday at 11 am.  This program features simple art for the very young (ages 2-5) plus stories and songs.  Hands on Art focuses on activities that, not only encourage creativity, but also build the skills children need for kindergarten.   The books below will also increase your child's knowledge of art and the world around him.  So check them out and head downtown on Friday, January 4th at 11 am with your own pint-sized Picasso for free, fun, Hands on Art!