Learning to Read

I have had some people ask me recently how to help their preschooler learn how to read.  Although I used to be a Reading Specialist as well as 1st & 2nd grade teacher, I don't feel like I'm am expert (especially in preschool reading).  But here are a few things that I do know.

1.  Read to your child, every day if possible.  This is #1 on the list for a reason.  All research points to this as being super important in children learning to read.  From personal experience this has taught James tons.  Not only does it teach your child how a book works, book language, but also increases their vocabulary.  {This is awesome to do as part of your bedtime ritual!}

2.  Look for book topics that interest your child.  As you know my child loves to read books about trains, cars, and construction vehicles.  It doesn't always have to be the most high quality literature.  Just get books in your little ones hands.

3.  Reread their favorites over and over again.  This will help them memorize some books, which is the beginning of reading.  I seriously have memorized so many books because I had to read them every.single.day for months on end!  I know that it's not fun for us grown ups, but children thrive with routine.

4.  Let them "read".  I have written read in quotes because some of the beginning stages of reading are memorizing books and approximating text.  Your child will likely memorize his or her favorite book and that is amazing!  Another thing is to let them tell the story based on the pictures.  Using the pictures is a natural progression to learning to read. Sometimes you may find your child sitting on his or her own looking at the pictures rereading the book.  Encourage that!

5.  Have fun!  Learning to read should be fun.  If this is not a fun time for your family and most especially your little one, he or she will not want to engage in reading.  Don't pressure them, just follow their lead.

6.  Educational TV.  Seriously y'all PBS has some awesome, awesome shows to help little ones learn how to read.  Super Why and Word World are two of our favorite shows and I think that Super Why really helped James to learn his letters.  We all know our kiddos are most likely going to be watching tv {I mean momma has to shower sometime , right!}  so it might as well be teaching them something!

I hope that this helps.  The bottom line is reading to your child is important, but it should be a fun time of the day.  Don't worry about having your child read before they get to kindergarten.  It's your job to give them a foundation, but the teacher will teach them how to read.  {and have lots of books at just the right level!}

Boys Should Be Boys

So for a long time {as in all last year} this was in my car for me to read whenever I had a few minutes I needed to fill.  Mostly when I was waiting to pick up James from school.  So it feels like I read it for.ever!

Anyway I really liked this book and I am totally keeping it to revisit often as James gets older and older.  I loved how no nonsense this book was.  A lot of the advice seemed like duh...  but often knowing something and actually putting it into practice are two entirely different things.  I find that I need to be reminded of common sense often {especially while parenting!}.

One of the main things that I took away from this book is right now while James is almost 4, I am setting the ground work for our relationship for the rest of his life.  I need to take the time now to listen to him, to play with him, to cuddle with him.  If I don't do that now, then he is never going to want to come to me and talk when he is older.  And y'all sometimes it is hard to step away from the dishes, the laundry, the cooking, etc.  Especially when it involves playing trains again.... so not my favorite pastime.  But it is his favorite pastime.  And raising a healthy son is all about the example I set and the relationship that we forge.  It is all about investing my time in my son.

If you have a son this is a GREAT book.  I advise you to pick it up and give it a read.  I don't think that it will disappoint.

Read:  Sept. 2011-Feb. 2013

Pages:  287

101 Things You Should Do Before Your Kids Leave Home

I got this book recently when I needed to spend a few more dollars to get free shipping at Amazon.  This book is not exactly what I thought that it was going to be...  it was very Christian centered.  Which I appreciate, but maybe some wouldn't.  

It had lots of fun ideas of things to do with your kiddos from a young age all the way to their teenage years.  I would say get this soon rather than later even though you won't be able to do many of them early....  you will want to know what to plan for.

Some of these I already had thought of...  swimming with dolphins, Laundry camp....

Some it reminded me of what we want to do... go camping, camp inside!

Some where new ideas... teddy bear hunt in the house...

I liked this because each idea was one page.  So I could read it for just a few minutes before bed or just after James had pottied and I knew I had a few minutes before I had to be on accident patrol.  ;)

I want to leave you with a great quote from the back...

The soul is healed by being with children.  Fyodor Dostoevsky


Pages:  213
Read:  December 2011

Parenting with Grace

I finished this book a month or two ago and loved it.  I always hear Dr. Popcak on the Catholic radio station and love the little bits of advice he gives.  So it was a no brainer to get this book to help figure out the toddler days (aka, terrible twos...)  {As I write my son is refusing to nap, he has napped once in the last week!  2.5 is too early to give up a nap, surely!}

This book goes all the way until children are 18 {I think}.  Anyway I read the beginning and the section on toddlers.  It was really good stuff.  It was a lot like the Sears' and attachment parenting.  So if you are more of a BabyWise sort of parent, you most likely won't like this one.  I loved it though.  I reminded me to follow through with James.  For some reason that is so much easier said than done, though...

I think that I need a little refresher read!  Ha!  No one will be borrowing this book from me because it is a jewel!  I highly recommend it!

Read:  May-July 2011
Pages:  not sure because I only read what pertained to us at this time in life

Raising Boys

Crazy as it may seem, I am not one to read lots of parenting books. They just stress me out. I think that some knowledge of what to expect at different ages is good, but too much stresses me out! I was interested in reading a little bit about raising a son though. Boys are just foreign to me. :)

This book really was a nice read. It discusses how boys and girls really are different. Gave some great advice for raising boys. Talk to them lots was the main piece of advice that I took from this. I already knew this, but it is always good to be reminded! Steve Biddulph gives some really interesting research that I liked reading about the research behind the advice.

This book might be a little hokey in places but overall I really did enjoy it. I would highly recommend this for boyMoms like me.

Pages: 216

Read: Beginning Sept. 2010