What Children Like in Books?

0 - 12 Months
Board books or fold-out books that can be propped up
Books with pictures of babies
Books with simple, large pictures
Books with simple pictures of people or familiar objects
Plastic or vinyl books for bath time
Washable cloth books that can be held and placed in the mouth
Books with black-and-white pictures or patterns

12 - 24 Months
Small, sturdy board books that small hands can hold
Books about bedtime
Books with photos of children doing familiar things like sleeping or playing
Books about saying hello and good-bye
Books with a few words on each page
Books with simple rhymes or predictable text
Books about animals
Books with simple, geometric shapes
Nursery rhymes

2 - 3 years
Books that tell simple stories and have pictures with more details
Simple rhyming books they can memorize
Books about bedtime
Books about counting, shapes or sizes
Interactive books – pop-up pages, pull-the-tab and touch-and-feel books
Silly or funny books
Books with repetition in story or a repeated phase
Stories with predictable text
Songs in a book format
Books with sounds they can imitate like animal or car sounds or musical instruments
Alphabet books with simple, clear pictures of each letter

4 - 5 years
Books with a plot – a beginning, middle and end
Simple science books about how things work
Silly or funny books
Books about things in which they have a special interest
Books about friends, families and other children
Books about going to school
Books with simple text they can memorize or read
Simple non-fiction books
Books that address a common fear or concern like being afraid of the dark
Wordless picture books
Books with a cumulative or sequential plot like the Three Billy Goats Gruff by Glen Rounds or If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff

why reading is very important for young children?

“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children. This is especially so during the preschool years.” – From Becoming a Nation of Readers

Six pre-reading skills your child can start learning from birth!

1.Vocabulary – Learn new words

Learning words begins at birth and grows throughout a child’s life. Most children start school knowing between 3,000 and 5,000 words.

• Talk with your child about what is going on around you. Talk about how things work, feelings and ideas.

• When your child talks with you, add more detail to what she says.
• Speak in the language that is most comfortable for you.
• Read together every day. When you talk about the story and pictures, your child hears and learns more words.
• Learn together by reading some true books on subjects that your child likes.
• Research shows that children who have larger vocabularies are better readers. Knowing many words helps children recognize written words and understand what they read.

2. Print Motivation – Love of books

• Make book-sharing time a special time for closeness between you and your child.
• Let your child see you reading.
• Visit your public library often.
• Children who enjoy books will want to learn how to read.

3. Print Awareness – Use books

• Read aloud everyday print — labels, signs, lists, menus. Print is everywhere!

• Point to some of the words as you say them, especially words that are repeated.
• Let your child turn the pages.
• Let your child hold the book and read or tell the story.
• Hold the book upside down. See if your child turns the book around.
• Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful.

4. Narrative Skills – Tell a story

• Listen to your child carefully when he talks.
• Ask your child to tell you about something that happened. Let him tell you about a picture he drew.
• Share books together.
• Stories help children understand that things happen in order — first, next, last.
• Read a book together that your child already knows. Switch what you do. You be the listener and let your child tell you the story.
• Ask “what” questions. Point to a picture and say, “What’s that?” or “What is happening here?”
• Add to what your child says. If your child says, “big truck” then you say, “Yes, a big red fire truck.”
• Ask open-ended questions like, “What do you think is happening in this picture?”
• Help your child relate what is happening in the story to her own experience, for example, “What happened when we went on a picnic?”
• Being able to tell or retell a story helps children understand what they read.

5. Phonological Awareness – Hear and make sounds

Most children who have an understanding of phonological awareness have an easier time learning to read. Help your pre-reader become aware of the smaller sounds that make up words.

• Ask whether two words rhyme: “Do ‘cat’ and ‘dog’ rhyme?” “Do ‘cat’ and ‘hat’ rhyme?”
• Say words with word chunks left out: “What word would we have if you took the ‘hot’ away from ‘hotdog’?”
• Put two word chunks together to make a word: “What word would we have if we put ‘cow’ and ‘boy’ together?”
• Say words with sounds left out: “What word would we have if we took the ‘buh’ sound away from ‘bat’?”
• Say rhymes and make up your own silly, nonsense rhymes together.
• Sing songs. Songs have different notes for each syllable in a word.
• Read some poetry together. Make up short poems together. Say the words that rhyme.
• Say rhymes and sing songs in the language most comfortable for you.
• Most children who have difficulty reading have trouble with phonological awareness.

6. Letter Knowledge – See and know letters

• Write your child’s name.
• Make letters from clay or use magnetic letters.
• Point out and name letters when reading alphabet books, signs or labels.
• Show your child that the same letter can look different.
• Write words that interest your child (like “dinosaur” or “truck”) using crayons, magnetic letters or pencil and paper.
• Knowing the names and sounds of letters helps children figure out how to say written words.

Description of Resource Collection for Parents

Yuan Chen (Anna)

Prof. Christine Schull

CHD 216

The collected resources are grouped into ten categories, and arranged alphabetically. They are prepared for the parents of preschoolers with age from 3 to 4. They cover issues of choosing appropriate childcare and toys, county guidelines, milestones from 3yrs to 5-yrs, safety, health, and communication. As a teacher, one part of our job is to educate parents to strengthen their ability to effectively understand their children. The more knowledge about child education they have, the happier and healthier reciprocal relationship they will enjoy with their children. Two resources about infants are also included because some preschoolers may have younger siblings. They can be helpful to those who may need this kind of information.

I feel these resources are also helpful to new immigrants, since they may have limited knowledge about the educational system in America. It is often seen that new immigrant parents are not brave to speak freely with teachers. These resources, from Fairfax County Department of Family Services, can help them to know more about the system, rules, policies and regulations in this country, particularly in this community.

The guidelines and milestones give parents a picture about the process of children’s development. That information can help parents to have appropriate expectations towards their children. Sometimes, it can avoid some unnecessary conflicts due to too high’s or too low’s expectations or goals. Two articles about discipline are included, which can help those parents who do not have good strategies of dealing with children’s behavior problems. They may know what problem the child has, but may not know the appropriate way to deal with it. Professional knowledge can enhance their parenting skills.

There are five resources related to reading and early literacy. Reading skills will determine the level of later academic success even a person’s whole life.

In my teaching, I will invite parents to provide some articles, flyers, even to share their own experiences about educating, which can be valuable items added to the parents’ corner. That can also give us a chance to know more about parents.

Contents

A. Child Care issues and Guidelines

1. Early Learning Guidelines of Fairfax County

2. Guidelines for Selecting a Babysitter

3. Tips for Shopping with Your Child

4. Child Supervision Guidelines--Fairfax County

5. If You See a Child Being Mistreated in a Public Place

6. Quality Child Care

7. Amerigroup Community Care

B. Communication

8. Words that Help Kids

9. Building Parent-Teacher Partnerships

10. How to Talk to Your Kids about the Earthquake in Haiti?

11. The Importance of Attachment

12. Think before You Spank

C. Development & Milestones

13. Developmental Milestones Ages Three, Four & Five

14. Developmental Milestones: Age 3

15. How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development

16. The Talking Three Year Old

17. Is your baby smart?

D. Encouragement and Discipline

18. Tony DiTerlizzi and Encouraging Young Artists

19. Discipline for Your Child

20. TIME-OUT Discipline Technique

E. Family activity

21. Family History Projects

F. Healthy issues

22. About Flu Season

23. Bee Wise, Immunize!

24. Tip for a Healthy Lifestyle

25. Family Fun and Fitness

26. About Diabetes

G. Military issues

27. Supporting young children affected by a military parent’s death

28. Supporting young children affected by a military parent’s injury

H. Reading & Early Literacy

29. How does Reading Develop Taste Buds?

30. Put Reading First

31. Literacy Is a Survival Skill

32. Help Little Ones Learn to Love Reading

33. Books Families Can Share with Their Children

I. Safety issues

34. Never Shake a Baby

35. Keeping Kids Safe in or around vehicles

36. Be Careful with Windows and Young Children

J. Toy

37. Toy Safety Shopping Tips

38. Think Toy Safety

39. Good Toys for Young Children

Supporting young children affected by a military parent’s death

The link of PDF file (Supporting young children affected by a military parent’s death)

Supporting young children affected by a military parent’s injury

The link of PDF file (Supporting young children affected by a military parent’s injury)

WORDS THAT HELP KIDS

The link of PDF file (WORDS THAT HELP KIDS)

TIPS FOR SHOPPING WITH YOUR CHILD

The link of PDF file (TIPS FOR SHOPPING WITH YOUR CHILD)

Toy safety shopping tips

the Link (Toy safety shopping tips)

Think Toy Safety

The link of PDF file (think toy safety)

The Talking Three Year Old

Communication Milestones for Early Speech and Language Skills

Feb 19, 2008 Claire Bolton

A Specialist Paediatric Speech-Language Pathologist outlines the early communication and language skills to expect at three years of age.

If language development is progressing well, an explosion of new words will occur from the age of two years. By the age of three a child should have a vocabulary of at least 300 words. Three-year-olds will also be trying to ask questions, repeat lengthy sentences, be frustrated if others are unable to understand them (i.e. they are aware that their verbalizations allow them to communicate with others), be interested in books (which is important for their developing literacy skills), imitating new words, and singing simple songs to music.

Communication and language skills of three year olds include:

Says Three-Four word Sentences Spontaneously

Being able to say a short sentence by themselves without copying someone else is an achievement in three year olds. An example may be, "Mummy in big car!". It means that they are gaining an independent understanding of language and its structure and can use it to relay events.

Imitates Five Word Sentences

Copying difficult sentences with or without prompting is an important step in child language development. By the age of three a child should be able to imitate sentences around five words in length, such as, "John wants big red ball."

Has At Least Three Hundred Words in Their Vocabulary

Actively Listens To Stories

By hearing stories, a child is able to improve their attention and comprehension skills. They also tend to have favorite books and television shows.

Looks At Books Independently

Children imitate what they see. If they observe adults enjoying reading, they will attempt to read too.

Recognizes and Communicates Needs

Being able to tell someone when they are hungry, tired or need the toilet are important milestones for three year olds.

Chats to Themselves When Playing

Children need to gain confidence with their speaking skills by practicing talking during play with their toys. They may be narrating or providing the voices for characters.

Uses Three Prepositions

Prepositions are position words such as “in”, “under”, “over” and “on”. Children may say phrases such as "Teddy in box" or "Dolly on bed".

Understands Basic Verbs

Verbs are action words. Children who are three years old are usually able to say verbs that are commonly used, such as “sleeping”, “walking”, “washing” and "eating".

Can Identify the Longer of Two Objects

Awareness of concepts such as long and short emerge at this age. For example, if asked to point to the long pencil, they should be able to distinguish it from a shorter pencil.

Can Identify At Least Six Body Parts

Children of the age of three years are usually able to point to a few body parts, such as "head", "eyes", "nose", "mouth", "tummy", "hand", and "foot"

Follows Simple Instructions

Three-year-olds can understand simple requests, such as "Please put this ball in your room"

Asks “What?”, “Where?” and “When?” Questions

Children are generally curious and asking questions is an important developmental milestone. Adults are often required to patiently respond to endless questions when children are three years old.

Can Tell Stories and Verbally Recall Events

Ever increasing sentence lengths enable children to produce small "stories" and describe activities.

Sings Nursery Rhymes

Children enjoy singing. It's an important aspect of language development.

Matches Primary Colors and Can Name One

Children don't have to be able to verbally identify "red", "green", "yellow" and "blue" at the age of three, but being able to find an item that's the same color as another is an expected milestone. If they can actually label the color by saying the word, that's a bonus skill.

Can Draw a Circle and Line

Being able to hold a crayon to create vague shapes is a step towards literacy skills when children learn to write letters.

Can Say The Following Sounds: “b”, “p”, “m”, “g”, “k”, “h”, “w”, “d”, “t”, “n”. These sounds should now be appearing within words that children say.

Can Be Understood By Family and Close Friends

Usually children are best understood by familiar listeners who are used to listening to an individual child.

By the age of three children should be progressing well with their language development in preparation for school. If children appear to be struggling, seek the advice of a speech-language pathologist for tips on three-year-old language development.

Read more at Suite101: The Talking Three Year Old: Communication Milestones For Early Speech and Language Skills http://infanttoddlerdevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_talking_three_year_old#ixzz0dgYZvub5

Teaching new words is vital at this age, as children need to have many new words to use in their increasingly lengthening sentences. Reading books together is an ideal way for increasing vocabularly.

How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development

The link of PDF file (How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development)

GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING A BABYSITTER

The link of PDF link (GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING A BABYSITTER)

CHILD SUPERVISION GUIDELINES--Fairfax County

The link of PDF file (CHILD SUPERVISION GUIDELINES)

NEVER SHAKE A BABY

The link of PDF file. (NEVER SHAKE A BABY)

KEEPING KIDS SAFE in or around vehicles

The link of PDF file. (Keeping Kids Safe in or around Vehicles)

Good Toys for Young Children

NAEYC offers the following information on selecting the safest and most appropriate toys for young children.

Safe toys for young children are:

• well-made (with no shared parts or splinters and do not pinch)
• painted with nontoxic, lead-free paint
• shatter-proof
• easily cleaned

Electric toys should be "UL Approved." Be sure to check the label, which should indicate the toy has been approved by the Underwriters Laboratories. In addition, when choosing toys for children under age 3, make sure there are no small parts or pieces that could become lodged in a child's throat and cause suffocation.

It is important to remember that typical wear and tear can result in a once-safe toy becoming hazardous. Adults should check toys frequently to make sure they are in good repair.

For a list of toys that have been recalled by manufacturers, visit the Toy Hazard Recalls page of

the Consumer Product Safety Commission Website:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html

For information on lead poisoning, you can obtain a free brochure from the American Academy

of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/new/Lead-PatientEdBrochure.pdf

Good Toys and Activities for Young Children

In addition to being safe, toys for young children need to match their stages of development and emerging abilities. Many safe and appropriate play materials are free items typically found at home. Cardboard boxes, plastic bowls and lids, collections of plastic bottle caps, and other "treasures" can be used in more than one way by children of different ages. As you read the following lists of suggested toys for children of different ages, keep in mind that each child develops at an individual pace. Items on one list - as long as they are safe - can be good choices for children who are younger and older than the suggested age range.

Toys for Young Infants - Birth through 6 Months

Babies like to look at people - following them with their eyes. Typically, they prefer faces and bright colors. Babies can reach, be fascinated with what their hands and feet can do, lift their heads, turn their heads toward sounds, put things in their mouths, and much more!

Good toys for young infants:

• Things they can reach for, hold, suck on, shake, make noise with - rattles, large rings, squeeze toys, teething toys, soft dolls, textured balls, and vinyl and board books
• Things to listen to - books with nursery rhymes and poems, and recordings of lullabies and simple songs
• Things to look at - pictures of faces hung so baby can see them and unbreakable mirrors

Toys for Older Infants - 7 to 12 Months

Older babies are movers - typically they go from rolling over and sitting to scooting, bouncing, creeping, pulling themselves up, and standing. They understand their own names and other common words, can identify body parts, find hidden objects, and put things in and out of containers.

Good toys for older infants:

• Things to play pretend with - baby dolls, puppets, plastic and wood vehicles with wheels, and water toys
• Things to drop and take out - plastic bowls, large beads, balls, and nesting toys
• Things to build with - large soft blocks and wooden cubes
• Things to use their large muscles with - large balls, push and pull toys, and low, soft things to crawl over

Toys for 1-year-olds

One-year-olds are on the go! Typically they can walk steadily and even climb stairs. They enjoy stories, say their first words, and can play next to other children (but not yet with!). They like to experiment - but need adults to keep them safe.

Good toys for 1-year-olds:

• Board books with simple illustrations or photographs of real objects
• Recordings with songs, rhymes, simple stories, and pictures
• Things to create with - wide non-toxic, washable markers, crayons, and large paper
• Things to pretend with - toy phones, dolls and doll beds, baby carriages and strollers, dress-up accessories (scarves, purses), puppets, stuffed toys, plastic animals, and plastic and wood "realistic" vehicles
• Things to build with - cardboard and wood blocks (can be smaller than those used by infants - 2 to 4 inches)
• Things for using their large and small muscles - puzzles, large pegboards, toys with parts that do things (dials, switches, knobs, lids), and large and small balls

Toys for 2-year-olds (Toddlers)

Toddlers are rapidly learning language and have some sense of danger. Nevertheless they do a lot of physical "testing" : jumping from heights, climbing, hanging by their arms, rolling, and rough-and-tumble play. They have good control of their hands and fingers and like to do things with small objects.

Good toys for 2-year-olds:

• Things for solving problems - wood puzzles (with 4 to 12 pieces), blocks that snap together, objects to sort (by size, shape, color, smell) and things with hooks, buttons, buckles, and snaps
• Things for pretending and building - blocks, smaller (and sturdy) transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture (kitchen sets, chairs, play food), dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets, and sand and water play toys
• Things to create with - large, non-toxic, washable crayons and markers, large paintbrushes and fingerpaint, large paper for drawing and painting, colored construction paper, toddler-sized scissors with blunt tips, chalkboard and large chalk, and rhythm instruments
• Picture books with more details than books for young children
• CD and DVD players with a variety of music (of course, phonograph players and cassette recorders work too!)
• Things for using their large and small muscles - large and small balls for kicking and throwing, ride-on equipment (but probably not tricycles until children are 3), tunnels, low climbers with soft material underneath, and pounding and hammering toys

Toys for 3- to 6-year-olds (Preschool and Kindergartners)

Preschoolers and kindergartners have longer attention spans than toddlers. Typically they talk a lot and ask a lot of questions. They like to experiment with things and with their still-emerging physical skills. They like to play with friends - and don't like to lose! They can take turns - and sharing one toy by two or more children is often possible for older preschoolers and kindergartners.

Good toys for 3- to 6-year-olds:

• Things for solving problems - puzzles (with 12 to 20+ pieces), blocks that snap together, collections and other smaller objects to sort by length, width, height, shape, color, smell, quantity, and other features - collections of plastic bottle caps, plastic bowls and lids, keys, shells, counting bears, small colored blocks
• Things for pretending and building - many blocks for building complex structures, transportation toys, construction sets, child-sized furniture ("apartment" sets, play food), dress-up clothes, dolls with accessories, puppets and simple puppet theaters, and sand and water play toys
• Things to create with - large and small crayons and markers, large and small paintbrushes and fingerpaint, large and small paper for drawing and painting, colored construction paper, preschooler-sized scissors, chalkboard and large and small chalk, modeling clay and playdough, modeling tools, paste, paper and cloth scraps for collage, and instruments - rhythm instruments and keyboards, xylophones, maracas, and tambourines
• Picture books with even more words and more detailed pictures than toddler books
• CD and DVD players with a variety of music (of course, phonograph players and cassette recorders work too!)
• Things for using their large and small muscles - large and small balls for kicking and throwing/catching, ride-on equipment including tricycles, tunnels, taller climbers with soft material underneath, wagons and wheelbarrows, plastic bats and balls, plastic bowling pins, targets and things to throw at them, and a workbench with a vise, hammer, nails, and saw
• If a child has access to a computer: programs that are interactive (the child can do something) and that children can understand (the software uses graphics and spoken instruction, not just print), children can control the software's pace and path, and children have opportunities to explore a variety of concepts on several levels

For More Information

The following resources with information about safe, appropriate toys for young children are available through NAEYC:

• Toys: Tools for Learning (brochure)
• The Right Stuff (book)
• The brochure Think Toy Safety is available on the Consumer Product Safety Commission Website

About Flu Season

The link of video. (Flu Season)

Early Learning Guidelines of Fairfax county

The link of PDF file (Early Learning Guidelines of Fairfax county)

IF YOU SEE A CHILD BEING MISTREATED IN A PUBLIC PLACE

The link of PDF file (IF YOU SEE A CHILD BEING MISTREATED IN A PUBLIC PLACE)