Vocab Explosion: Literacy Begins at Home

Every day KISSable keeps adding more coherently-spoken words to her vocabulary. Aside from her name, I'm most impressed by her "ah-ro-nah" (astronaut). Today she belted out with "Sasa!" for NASA. And, of course, she's asking for food by name: tuna, hummus, Cheerios. She makes her literacy loving momma proud.

I love reading to her and letting her finish the sentences in books like her favorite Gossie: boots, every day, rides, and hides or favorite songs like Sunshine and Bus. This developmental milestone is magical. 

As an English teacher (once and always), I worry about parents who don't cultivate a love for reading and who choose balls over books because they claim their child won't sit still. I have seen the end game and know how children lag behind their peers and struggle with overwhelming cross-curricular reading assignments and decoding the text.

I understand that parents are crunched for time. Seriously, though: children's books are short (until you graduate to Suess and H.E. Ray, that is). So set a time limit on reading 10 minutes of stories and BAM! you're off to teeth brushing and getting those little joys off to bed.






For the parent who is hindered by his or her own reading ability, know this: 1) your child doesn't know or care and 2) I'm convinced my off-key singing will get better if I keep at it (I'm looking at you, "Down by the Bay"!) and likewise, your reading is bound to improve the more, too. Just be silly (like Mem Fox singing her Ten Little Fingers below)! Children's author and literacy advocate Mem Fox put together a pretty impressive list for parents called "Ten Read-Aloud Commandments."

I share the stress, frustration and guilt that comes along with wanting to be a good parent but feeling like you're unable to do it all. From ABCs and 123s to hop, skipping and jumping, we're also expected to groom our children to perfect automatons in public else our parenting is questioned. There is so much to teach them! However, I'm realizing the old (English teacher?) saying: "There's a book for that!" rings true for infants and toddlers. Let these fantastic books do the teaching. If you can't find it, ask a librarian. Or me. I can help, too!

Even better, there are organizations like the National Institute for Literacy who put out publications like "Literacy Begins a Home: Teach them to read" which offers age appropriate checklists for toddlers aged 2 to 3rd grade school children. I picked up my copy at a nearby library. The first item on the first item on the first checklist is: "I read with my child every day, even if it's only for a few minutes." Do it!

Here is an incomplete list of our kid-tested favorite books and authors for ages 0-3 (and beyond).

• Boynton, Sandra: Moo, Baa, La La La! AND Barnyard Dance
• Brown, Margaret Wise: Good Night Moon
• Cronin, Doreen: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
• Day, Alexandra: Good Dog, Carl
• Dean, James: Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes
• Dunrea, Olivier: Gossie
• Martin, Jr., Bill: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? AND Chicka Chicka ABC (w/ J. Archambault)
• Numeroff, Laura Joffee: If You Give a Pig a Party AND If You Give a Pig a Pancake 
• Falconer, Ian: Olivia AND Olivia and the Fairy Princesses
• Fox, Mem: Ten Little Fingers AND Time for Bed 
• Parr, Todd: The Family Book
  
• Patricelli, Leslie: Quiet Loud
• Rey, H.E.: Curious George
• Seuss, Dr.: Dr. Seuss' ABC AND One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
• Willems, Mo: Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus! AND We are in a Book!