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Issue 8
What is Early Literacy? Early Literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Research shows that children get ready to read years before they start school. There are six early literacy skills that parents can incorporate into their children's daily life. These six skills are: Vocabulary, Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Phonological Awareness, and Letter Knowledge. More detailed information about these six skills is available at http://multcolib.org/birthtosix/elitskills.html/
You can help your baby, toddler and preschooler learn important skills now so they can become good readers. There are many simple and fun ways to do this. We invite you to bring your child to Library storytimes, which utilize research-based techniques to build early literacy skills. This newsletter will help you extend storytime benefits by including book-related fingerplays, crafts, and other activities.
In this issue we feature our current favorite picture books. Each book fosters a specific literacy skill. Also, check out our magazine for babies and toddlers and try singing a nursery rhyme song from one of our many nursery rhyme books.
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Picture Books for Preschoolers |
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| Fingerplays for Preschoolers and Toddlers |
Ten fat peas in a peapod pressed
Hold up two fists
One grew...two grew...so did all the rest.
One thumb up, other thumb up, all fingers
They grew and grew and did not stop
Raise hands higher and higher
Until one day the pod went pop!
Clap hands over head |
There's a tiny little star way up in the sky
Raise fist high
A tiny little star up so very high
Raise fist even higher
It twinkles brightly though the night
Open fist and wiggle fingers
But during the day, it's out of sight
Close fingers back into fist |
Chalk by Bill Thompson is a wordless picture book about three children who go to a park on a rainy day, find some chalk and draw pictures that come to life. Wordless books are a good way to increase narrative skills. Read Chalk and have your child describe what is happening on each page. A fun activity to do after reading this book is to go outside with a box of chalk and encourage your child to draw pictures that tell a story. |
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Nursery Rhymes for Toddlers and Babies |
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Singing is one way to help children hear the smaller sounds in words, especially if there is a
different note for each syllable. Check out our series of activity song books of traditional nursery
rhymes just the right size for small hands. The fingerplay instructions at the back of the books
encourage interaction between parent and child to develop motor skills.
Round and round the garden
Circle baby’s palm, back or belly
Goes the teddy bear
One step, two step,
Walk fingers up arm, back or chest
Tickle under there.
Tickle under chin.
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This is the way the farmer rides
A-jiggity jog, a jiggity jog
Rock baby side to side on knees
This is the way the lady rides
A-prance, a-prance
Bounce baby gently on knees
This is the way the gentleman rides,
A gallop, gallop, gallop!
Bounce baby quickly on knees.
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BABYBUG Magazine for Babies and Toddlers |
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The library has a subscription to the magazine Babybug. It is recommended for children 6 months to 3 years and is shelved with our board books. Babybug is filled with simple stories and rhymes and bright engaging pictures. |
| The Library offers a special bag, containing new children's cardboard books and a parenting book, for parents of newborns. These Books for Babies bags are for babies from birth to six months old and for Lake Oswego residents only. Funding for Books for Babies is provided by the Friends of the Library. Parents can request a bag at the Library check out desk. For information, please call 503-675-2538. |
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Print Awareness
