BUBBLES TO BOOKS

Family Literacy With Infants and Toddlers

Parents want their children to succeed in school. They want their children to develop strong literacy skills. Let’s help them understand how this develops in infants and toddlers.

ACTIVITY/ DISCUSSION 1

Bring out the apples you purchased at the grocery store. Have available a paring knife and paper towel.

Pretend that you have never seen an apple before. Explore the apple in all the ways that occur to

you to do. In Discussion 1 on Moodle,

List all of the characteristics of the apple that you were able to learn.

Post additional characteristics on at least 2 other discussion posts.

ACTIVITY/DISCUSSION 2

Explore the toy apples Post on your discussion entry the

characteristics you could no longer identify if you were only using pretend apples.

ACTIVITY/DISCUSSION 3

Looking at this photo, what characteristics of an apple must you cross out if this is your only source of information.

APPLE Children learn first through real life experiences If this were your first exposure to an apple,

what would you know about an apple? Infant and Toddler Literacy activities must be

based on real life experiences. Symbolic reasoning is developed as we learn that

symbols (pictures or letters that mean words) stand for real things – nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc)

Children’s first literacy experiences are important. Children’s literacy has a strong link to their family’s

literacy experiences.

WHAT IS THE”FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE ?”

Work with at-risk families Have broad goals Offer multifaceted services that meet

educational and other-than educational need of both parents and children

Provide intensive, long term program services

www.familylit.org

WHY IS MOTHER’S LITERACY IMPORTANT TO INFANTS AND

TODDLERS? 66% of children under age six whose

parents did not complete high school live in poverty

23% of the 191 million adults in this country demonstrated skills in the lowest level of prose, document, and quantitative proficiencies

Early deprivation stacks the deck against poor children and families. They more often suffer poor health and later academic failure

The most powerful predictors of children’s academic success are the educational achievement and socio-economic level of their parents. The mother’s education is particularly important.

WHAT CAN INFANT CARE TEACHERS DO TO ENCOURAGE MOTHERS AND OTHER ADULTS’ LITERACY RELATIONSHIPS TO INFANTS AND TODDLERS?

In your assigned groups, in the assigned wiki, create a list of ideas that you can do in your family child care home or you center.

WHAT ABOUT FAMILIES FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS NOT THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE?

THERE ARE MANY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AVAILABLE IN SPANISH. WHAT IF THE CHILDREN YOU SERVE SPEAK OTHER LANGUAGES IN THE HOME?

WHAT ABOUT ADULTS WHO ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THEIR OWN LITERACY

LEVEL?

Simple books, with stories that can be made up, with content that is interesting to the adults

WHAT ARE “PRELITERACY”ACTIVITIES?

Support the development of the Concept of Symbolism

Introduce real objects Introduce books

What is to the left of this text?

If you answered “a Dog” you were not correct. It is a photograph! As an adult, you have made

the automatic transition from the real thing (dog) to the picture of the dog. This is what literacy is all about.

EMERGENT LITERACY SKILLS

Book Handling Behaviors Touching, chewing, turning pages, front to back turning

of pages Looking and Recognition

Looking at pages Showing signs of recognition – pointing, making a

sound, early word efforts Picture and Story Comprehension

Growing awareness of the symbols of pictures and words to create meaning

Story Reading Behaviors Sitting and turning pages of a book, with or without

meaning.How will you foster these behaviors in your family child care home, center classroom, or during your home visit?

LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW

Modeling Literacy Skills

Developing Oral Language

Developing a Sense of StoryUsing

Decontextualized Language

Constructing & Testing Hypotheses

Using Literacy Tools

Reading & Writing

Are all of these elements present in your home or classroom?

Infant Activities

Tracking• Blowing Bubbles

can support an infant learning to track

• What other activities will support an infant’s tracking (following an object in movement with the eyes)

Infant ActivitiesBooks Opportunities to handle

books Opportunities to cuddle with

an adult and look at special books

Songs and Fingerplays Repetitive rhyming and

songs Active fingerplays

RESOURCES FOR SONGS AND FINGERPLAY

http://www.sqedunk.com/FingerPlays/Nursery-Rhymes.htm

http://www.educationoasis.com/curriculum/Music_Movement/fingerplays_actionverses.htm

http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-rhymes.htm

Infant Activities

Hands-on activities Mommy is at work

What does that mean?

What does it look like?

Does she still think of me?

What is at the zoo? Park? Store?

Infant Activities

Crawling Oppositional

movement activities, support later literacy skills,

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=212

INFANTS ENJOY

Nursery rhymes and finger playsUse rhythm and rhyme to captivate & charm

infants Made up stories about objects

Made up tales can be very simple Songs that tell stories Stories with sounds, gestures, and facial

expressionsHave fun with your voice & enjoy the telling

– infants will responds to your changing voice and enthusiasm

TODDLER ACTIVITIES

Left to right concepts When putting

things in a row, place left to right

Trace the words on the page when reading

**If the home language writes in a left to right, front to back format

Toddler Activities

Front to back concepts

Talk about starting at the title pages in the front, and finishing at the end, at the back

Toddler Activities

Be awarene of child’s home language, potential differences in literacy in family members

Toddlers Enjoy

Nursery rhymesBring out the story line – tell a nursery

rhyme like a story Stories about themselves

Invite them to join you in telling – include actions or repeated lines that they can say with you

Familiar Tales (like the Three Bears)

Stories they can join in or act out (like the Itsy Bitsy SpiderKeep it short

What Are Good Books for Babies?

•Books that reflect the child’s own experiences•Books that honor and observe the diversity the child will experience•Books that can be touched and chewed•Books that are beautiful

What do these book pages represent? If you were a child, what would interest you about them?

LIST/ACTIVITY

Think of your favorite books as a child Think of the books you like to read to children

now What are the characteristics of the books? Why do you like them? On Discussion 2

Make a recommendation of 3 of your favorite children’s books, and why

STORYTELLING: ENHANCING RESILIENCY Fosters a sense of inner strength Creates a positive connection with others Identifies with traditions Exercises the imagination Provides a means to plan for the future Encourages laughter, ability to laugh at self Enhances good problem solving skills

NATIONAL CENTER FOR FAMILY LITERACY WEBSITE – RESOURCE

REFLECTION FOR YOUR JOURNAL ENTRY

Was there an “aha” moment during this presentation/activities/discussion? Something that was new and will make a

difference in how you think about books an literacy

Something that reinforced a belief or value? What actions will you take as a result of this

information?