Read to Them – Let them read to you, too! Share reading, you read a page then they read a page. Ask them to retell favorite stories, or a story they have just read, in their own words.
Talk to Them – Sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, and narrate your activities as you go about the day. Ask questions and invite them to name objects and describe whatever they are seeing. At night, recap the day’s events together out loud.
Take Them on a Trip – No, not Europe. The supermarket, the post office, a museum or the zoo will do. Then, talk about what you see and ask questions.
Write it Down – Kids love to write. Give them paper and plenty of pencils, crayons, and markers. Writing word the way they hear them is a step that helps make them better writers and readers. Show them how ot staple pages together to make a book. Encourage them to be an author and an illustrator.
Socialize – Whether it is a big birthday party or a one-one play date, kids benefit from hearing a range of words in a variety of voices.
Teach Recognition – Logos on food packages. Names and addresses on the mail. A stop sign. A “walk” sign. The letter B. Give them opportunities to demonstrate that they know what these things mean and then heap on the praise.
Do the Math – Talk about numbers. Count everything out loud. How any grapes do you have on your plate? One more would make how many? Is 4 less than or greater than 9?
Grow Their Attention Span – Card games, board games, setting the table, picking photos out of a magazine. Set aside time to focus on a single activity or one task before moving on to active work.
