Article # 23

Based on the interview with Barbara-Lynn Taylor, M.Ed. on “Raising Your Kids”

Aired on WXII-12

Wednesday, August 4, 2004

SCHOOL SUCCESS TAKES TEAMWORK: HELPING OUR PRESCHOOLERS

from “School Success Takes Teamwork”, Part Four of the video-based parenting program, Successful Parenting

Research has clearly shown that the most important learning takes place during the preschool years, so it is vital that we parents play an active role in helping our children develop.

Beyond caring for our children’s basic needs, the most important activity we parents can do is read to our children. It’s an enjoyable and interesting activity, and it’s an excellent opportunity to snuggle together and laugh and whisper and giggle. The things some of us got into parenting for! From an academic standpoint, it is priceless.

Reading to our children helps them be comfortable with books. It helps them get the sense of how language works. It shows them the richness of our language, and that there is a beginning, middle and end to each story. It helps them to see the sound-letter associations that lead to reading. It can open up worlds of discussion. As children learn best by the examples we set for them – especially at this young age – the fact that you value reading will most likely make them value reading, as well. It will establish a lifelong habit of reading.

Although at times, we may want to select specific books for a particular reason, it is a good idea for us to read books that our children have selected themselves. We may want to choose a small group of books from which the child may freely pick. Allowing children to decide for themselves not only increases the interest level, but children will gain feelings of control and self-esteem.

In addition to reading, another simple way we can help our preschoolers’ language develop is to talk to them as we go about our daily routine. “I am washing the dishes,” “I am checking my e-mail”, or “It’s time to do the laundry,” do as much to help children learn and develop as sitting them down in front of a blackboard. Just the act of putting those actions into sentences that children hear over and over teaches vocabulary and sentence structure, and makes them feel like participants in your life, not just observers.

Finally, there are limitless verbal games we can play with our preschoolers throughout the day, only a few of which might be:
1. “What Is it?” We point to an object and the child names it. If they don’t know it, we say, “It is a ____” such as a book, a chair, or a toy truck.
2. ‘”What Do We Do With It?” We have the child tell the function of an object such as a car (it takes us places), a fork (we eat with it), or a bed (we sleep in it).
3. “Beginning Sounds” Ask for words that begin with the same letter such as “B”-like bear, bat, bunny, bite, bike, etc. We can provide some words if they don’t know them, and then they repeat them after us.
4. “Rhyming Words” in which we ask the child to give a word that rhymes with a certain word such as “at”-cat, mat, fat, hat, rat, sat, etc.

Simple games such as these are fun, they get us engaged with our preschoolers, and they help develop our children’s language skills. That gives them an advantage when they start school. It does take time and energy for us to work with our preschoolers on their reading and language skills, but it pays big dividends later and it really can be FUN! Let’s start tonight! How’s about Goodnight Moon?