It’s that time of year to make our lists and check them twice–and select the best toys and games for our kids and grandkids for holiday gift giving. Again, there are many helpful lists out there from Parents Magazine to Parents Choice Foundation. Check them out for their carefully toy tested lists, and kudos to Parents Choice who included a section for recommended toys for children with special needs.

Here is my list of favorite toys and games that build language skills through fostering pretend play, encouraging chat, and giving parents plenty to talk about to a baby or toddler:

Babies and Toddlers:

Cuddly Kid Mirror by Alex Toys:

Kids love to cuddle and check out faces so why not get snuggle and face time in one toy? With outstretched crinkle hands, this half ball of fun is asking for play. Strap the “Cuddly Kid Mirror”in the crib for baby entertainment, or prop him up for tummy time and crawl around exploration. Showing off his bright colors, fuzzy textures, knotted strings and bean bag legs, this buddy encourages visual, auditory and tactile investigation and is just plain fun to squeeze.

Recommendated age: Newborn and above

Taggies Go Go! Car

Cuddle up with this friendly-faced coupe, covered with soft plush and shiny geometric designed tags. A takeoff from the popular Taggies balls, this car packs more features for your baby to explore and parents to talk about, enhancing learning. Press the button on top to hear “beep, beep”and see his cheeks light up, grab the crinkly wheels, see your reflection in the mirrored bumper, play peek-a-boo with a puppy peering out the window or pull the string to start the motion. A combination of textures, vibrant colors, and sounds, this compact car is engineered to give kids plenty to investigate and parents many features to describe, feeding your child important language to encourage learning. His endearing face invites baby’s conversation, providing practice for future chats.

Recommended age: 3 months and up

Favorites from other years:

Taggies First Touch Ball

Flow ‘n’ Fill Spout by Yookidoo:

Toddlers are drawn to running water. Since the best part of bath time is playing with the stream as the tub fills up, imagine the investigating going on with the “Flow ‘n’ Fill Spout” as it keeps the water flowing after the tap is turned off. Submerge the little pump under the water and suction the spout anywhere in the tub for continuous streams of water play. Little ones quickly learn to start and stop the flow by pushing the face, and experiment with the three friendly-faced cups, spinning a propeller, creating a shower and revealing a surprise pop up friend. Teaching the language of empty/full, heavy/light, start/stop, on/off, up/down, and floating/sinking, this joyful distraction makes scrubbing a dirty toddler a little easier.

Recommended age: 9 months and up

Taggies Rocker by International Playthings

Kids lined up for a turn on Taggies’ newest giraffe rocker, swinging a leg over his sturdy, plush back andhanging on to the handles for a lively ride. Just the right size for a one to three year-old, this playful friend is adorned with bright colors, varied textures, crinkle ears and patterned taggies to amuse the youngest ones while the older toddlers can saddle up and hang on to the mane of ribbons. A plush, huggable friend with a cock-eyed grin, this giraffe leaves the fun and creativity to your child–no batteries needed. He’s low enough to the ground but life-size for kids to invite him into their land of imagination. Don’t be surprised if he is asked to join the picnic or play house. Watching a one-year-old greet him with a morning hug, I know this giraffe can serve to expend rockin’ energy or just be a hang around pal in the playroom.

Recommended age: 12-36 months

Preschool and Above:

PLAYMOBIL Pyramid:

Take a break from the usual monsters and dragons menu for boys’ pretend play and introduce the ancient life of the Egyptians. Available in the complete pyramid set or smaller sets of chariots, the sphinx, or tomb raiders to name a few, this newest play scenario invites a history lesson as well as creative play. Secret chambers and trap doors set up the fun for chases, captures and discoveries. Kids love to investigate, hide and surprise with all the moving parts to keep the action going.

Recommended age: 5 and up

Playdate Central Puppet Show by International Playthings

Pull out this puppet show in a box when the kids come over to play and watch it spark their imaginations. Mom or Dad can easily assemble the cloth, hanging theater to suspend in the doorway as kids make puppets, part the curtains and start the story telling. Before the show starts, kids create theirown puppet characters with six fuzzy bodies and thirty stick-on ears, faces, tails, noses or outfits. Go traditional in making a prince, princess, lion, puppy, or dragon or combine the features to make an original character. As the story develops, kids can re-figure the puppets, ripping off the reusable features and attaching them to create new characters. Moms were amazed at how well the features stuck on the puppets during active play. My three-year-old puppeteers enjoyed presenting a show and then chased each other with puppets in hand. Language learning begins with selecting a character while devising and assembling the puppets, continues during the creation of the story and dialogue, and extends through open-ended play with flexible props to expand plot possibilities. Take a seat and let your children learn language through play.

International Playthings Playdate Central Puppet Show

Recommended ages 3-6

Richard Scarry’s Busytown Eye Found it! by I Can Do That Games

Having raised my kids on Richard Scarry books, searching for Lowly the Worm, I am excited to see a new generation of children examining his delightful drawings, learning about communities of fun. “Richard Scarry’s Busytown Eye Found it! Game” is a winner in innovative, entertaining, language learning games. Unfold the six foot game board and race  through the bustling town, busy airport, industrious construction site, and working farm, to board the ferry for Picnic Island to grab your lunch before Pig Will and Pig Won’t eat it. Spin a Goldberg Mystery Card and start the timer as all players work together to spot the most objects on the game board of the kind pictured on the card—construction cones, garbage cans, shovels, kites, or bicycles. Kids love to place their magnifying glass tokens on the objects when found, rewarded with a bonus move. Can you see why I hear squeals of delight when a bug card is spun?

This team game models collaboration, encouragement, patience and the satisfaction of “winning” together. Scarry’s detailed drawings teach the language of concepts, categories, association, and storytelling as little ones learn what objects, people and actions go together to build narratives. Where would we find shovels? Look in the construction site. Where would we search for letters? Check the town post office or neighborhood mailbox. What about garbage cans? Everywhere! Enjoy this game for a balance of talents and fun for kids and adults alike.

Recommended age: 3 years and up

Favorites from other years:

Cat in the Hat-I Can Do That

Horton Hears A Who-You to a Rescue

Green Eggs and Ham-Speedy Diner

Gobblet Gobblers by Blue Orange Games

Assemble your tic-tac-toe grid and off you go with a chance to place three of your gobblers in a row to win. With each turn, players can add a new gobbler to the board or move one that is already in place. Two options–to find an empty space or “gobble up” an existing smaller piece–make this game a multi-leveled game of strategy and memory. Go ahead and move your piece already on the board but don’t forget who was under him, because the littler guy will be left behind in that space and might set up a play for your opponent. Requiring visual-spacial memory and the ability to weigh different strategic options and outcomes,“Gobblet Gobblers” stretches young minds and gets them giggling as they surprise even themselves as opportunities open up to win!

Age: 5 and up

Favorite from other years:

Froggy  Boogie

Pengaloo

Step2 All Around Art Tower

There’s fun all around when kids step up to this tower of artistic possibilites. The circular table allows for budding artists to work side by side and select their medium from the two bins surrounding the central pole. Don’t be fooled that this can’t be a language building toy–many kids create stories and narrate their drawings while painting and drawing. Having a friend next to them encourages the dialogue of sharing supplies and talking about what they are making. I love the feature of displaying their finished pictures or works in progress on the clips above the table. Don’t miss a chance to ask your kids about what they’ve made and to tell you the story.

Recommended age: 3 and up

Favorites from other years:

Step 2 50’s Diner

ChickyBoom by Blue Orange Games

Chicks have come to roost on their favorite perch, performing a balancing act on thick bales of hay and slim wagon wheels. Plump Mom and baby chickys peer out their adorable eyes, beckoning players to take turns, skillfully plucking pieces off the teetering perch without toppling the brood. Players remove birds and their accessories, hoping to keep the remaining pieces in place. Each piece has its own point value from one to three, so after the perch is dumped, collect your pieces, add up your score and declare the winner.

A game of fine motor skill and balance, “ChickyBoom” requires slow, precise movements so as not to disturb the roosting chicks. Strategy comes into play as risk takers remove a piece of higher value that might start the gang wobbling but adds value to their winnings. Get some math practice as you add up the numbers on your pieces to reach the highest score and win the game.

Recommended age: 4 and up

What a jump, from first words at a year of age, to saying little sentences at two. Your toddler has a tall task ahead of him to absorb the world of language and learn how to make his wants and needs known through the spoken word. Parents can use  some simple strategies to encourage their tot’s talking, through his everyday experiences. As a speech-language pathologist, I often encounter well-meaning parents who are speaking for their child, robbing him of the opportunity to practice what he hears and use the words needed to begin verbal communication.

Typically toddlers at a year and a half  understand far more than they can say. It is in this latter half of their second year of life that they experience a “vocabulary explosion,” where they can learn and use several new words each week, culminating in combining two words for their first little sentences by two years of age. Words begin to take over for gestures, as children take turns in conversation and name objects, people and actions in their day.

I share these easy strategies with parents to encourage their toddler’s talking during this exciting time:

1. Follow the leader. Follow your child’s focus of attention and comment about what he is looking at or exploring in his environment. Give him the words to describe what he is interested in and looking at, “Yes, all the animals are riding in the wagon and the farmer is ready to start up the engine.” Use rich vocabulary as you describe these scenes so your child will learn new words like engine, or start up. Research has shown a strong correlation between the time that mothers of 12-18 month-olds shared their child’s focused interest and the size of their vocabularies later. It makes sense that children learn and internalize more vocabulary when we talk about what they are interested in and focused on at the moment.
2. Name the point. When your child points to what he wants, pause and see if he will say something. If he doesn’t have the word, you provide it for him, “Juice, you want some juice, you must be thirsty for juice.” Use the word in several short sentences so he can hear it emphasized in that context. In the future he will learn to say “juice” when he wants it. If you know that your child is able to say the word, wait a few seconds until he verbalizes something, but, never wait long enough to frustrate him. He might utter “du” or “ga” for juice but praise him for using his words. “Yes, juice.” Encourage him and model the correct way to say the word in your speech. This pause is important. Often in our attempt to understand our toddler we offer him something without waiting for him to ask. We need to give him the opportunity to learn that if he talks, he gets his needs met.
3. Never correct him or put him on the spot. This seems obvious but so many parents say, “Oops, I’ve been doing that!” Instead of correcting him, simply model and say the correct word in your speech. In the same way, don’t put him on the spot by asking him to say something like, “Say Mama.” As soon as your child has a few words it is tempting to show them off to friends or grandparents. Usually when asked to directly say something, kids will go mute, Always talk to your toddler the way you would talk to an adult, as in a conversation. I don’t invite a friend over and confront them to, “Say couch!” Keep conversation natural and enriching, always using expressive vocabulary.
4. Look him in the eye. Respond to your toddler with interest and eye contact even if you have no idea what he is saying! It is typical for tots to be fairly unintelligible at this age so it isn’t easy to follow them. Try to read his body language, gestures or objects that he is holding to understand what he is saying. Encourage him with affirmation so he continues to communicate. Practice makes perfect and talking leads to communication.
5. Rephrase his requests. When your child says, “Milk,” show him that you understand him by adding to the phrase to clarify, “You want milk? I’ll get you some milk from the refrigerator. You must be thirsty for milk.” You have just filled in many words associated with wanting milk and have modeled little sentences to express his desires.  
6. Expand on your child’s words by adding descriptive adjectives, adverbs, or verbs. When he says, “Dog,” you can simply add, “Yes, the furry dog” or “the big, brown dog” or “the fast dog.” By giving him short, expanded sentences related to his topic, you are helping him eventually lengthen his sentences and add meaning.
7. Always use grammatically correct sentences. When talking to your toddler, don’t talk in his telegraphic speech, but show him what adult language looks like. You can convey a lot of meaning in a short, grammatically correct sentence like “Your truck is fast” or “The brown dog is barking.” 
8. Let the pretend play begin. As your toddler approaches two years of age, pretend play starts to dominate his interactive fun. He will imitate familiar actions throughout the day like eating, drinking, sleeping, pushing the vaccuum or mowing the lawn. Provide props so he can pick them up and copy the action. Include some stuffed animals, dolls or pretend friends who can gather and join him for a pretend snack, nap or activity. Pretend play skills are linked to enriched language development.
9. Set up an inviting pretend play area. Provide the props for different themes in pretend play–a farmhouse with animals, cooking items and pretend food, playground equipment and little people, a gas station with vehicles and drivers or a fishing boat. Make sure  people are plentiful since they promote conversation. A train set with no people will not encourage language development the way one with people will because kids begin to take a figure and talk for him. Make sure you have all the pieces to go with a play theme so your child has the best opportunity to be creative. 
10. Be the producer not the director of his play. A parent’s job is to provide some fun objects, materials, or toys to invite a child’s imagination to take off, not to lead the play. If you see him telling a story on the farm, you might add play-doh to his table of props and see what he makes to go along with his creative theme–hay for the horses, a bed for the farmer or a trough for the pigs. 
11. Introduce books with a simple story line. Continue to read books that your toddler enjoys, and add some with a simple story line relating to their experiences such as waking up, getting dressed or eating. Baby Can’t Sleep by Schroeder adds some rhyming spunk to the bedtime ritual, and Pudgy, A Puppy to Love, by Goodhart,  deals with finding your best friend. The Maisy series, by Lucy Cousins, includes episodes involving  getting dressed, going to the playground, taking a bath, going to bed, and most recently Maisy Goes to the Museum and Maisy Goes Camping.  Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? by Saltzberg gives a goofy perspective on getting ready for bed. Read books that correspond to your child’s experience. Because toddlers are learning to sing, they enjoy books that illustrate songs like Skip to My Lou by  Westcott,  Miss Mary Mack by Hoberman and Westcott or Snuggle Puppy by Boynton.  Clap Your Hands by Cauley calls your toddler to action, stepping to the beat. Choose books with strong, descriptive vocabulary like Hooray for Fish, a favorite by Lucy Cousins. The little fish invites the listener along to meet his spotty, stripy, happy, gripy fishy friends. Some count while others are hairy, scary, fat and thin. Shoe Baby, by Dunbar, takes the baby on a wild ride in a shoe through town, the sea and the zoo, repeating the phrase, “How Do You Do?” Most importantly, demonstrate your love of reading that will be contageous to your child.

Every parent cringes when he hears his preschooler yell out, “Mine” while holding  tight to a toy as his peer tries to wrestle it away. Giving up a treasured toy is tough on little ones, but learning to share is an essential lesson parents can teach over time. What should parents expect? And how do we help our egocentric two-year-old  become a generous, sharing and caring kindergartner?

Sharing involves considering others outside your self-centered world—their feelings, needs and wants—by giving, caring, pleasing and including others. Two and three –year-olds have a hard time sharing, but as they develop into 4 and 5 year-olds and see themselves as part of a community, they learn to share.

Language is integral to learning to share. Modeling phrases such as “I am waiting my turn,” “You go next,” “Your turn” or “You can play with this,” “Thanks for waiting for your turn,” or “I’d like you to try this,” helps them understand the turn-taking process and label it. By talking through the emotions of sharing, “It feels good to give Sam a turn,” “I like to share and make Devon happy,” or “I helped James today and it felt good,” we help our children name their emotions, express themselves, and learn to get along with others using words.

5 Tips to Teach Your Preschooler to Share:

1. Model sharing throughout your day and talk about what you are doing with your child.  As an adult you can demonstrate sharing objects, ideas and time. When your neighbor asks to borrow some milk, you gladly share the half-gallon left in your refrigerator. Be consistent in your language and phrases so your child will learn and use them too. “I am glad that I can share with Mrs. Kennelly.”

Model sharing as a play partner with your child, using dolls, play figures or animals. Again, start a conversation and label taking turns, sharing and how good it feels to think of others. Share ideas with your child and encourage her to follow your example. During play you might take turns adding to the imaginary story or adding on to the dialogue in a puppet show. Adding physical touch to turn-taking with young children can reinforce the concept with them as you gently put your hand on her shoulder while saying, “Your turn to tell the story.”

2. Provide opportunities to share within the family, taking turns and giving each child a chance to go first. Putting a puzzle together involves teamwork, sharing and taking turns. Try a Family Fun Puzzle by Ravensburger.  These jigsaw puzzles containing separate sections according to the size of the puzzle piece offers jumbo pieces for children as young as three, more complex mid-sized pieces for 6-10 year-olds and adult sized pieces to finish the picture. Everyone contributes at his own level and in his own space.

Playing beginner board games reinforces taking turns, waiting and encouraging others. Simple but engaging first games that I recommend are “Barnyard Bingo” by Fisher Price, “Diggity Dog” by International Playthings, “Snail Pace Race” and “Funny Bunny” by Ravensburger and “Pengoloo” and “Froggy Boogie” by Blue Orange Games.

Other multi-step activities to enjoy with your family are gardening, preparing food, making a family craft or creating and giving a gift. Each activity invites taking turns and following directions so family members learn to wait, listen to others and work together. Each step of assembling the ingredients to pot a plant, decorate sugar cookies or design a card for Nana involves sharing in the planning—“You get the spoon, I’ll get the bowl,” or “I’ll get the markers and you get the glitter.” Don’t forget to share ideas as you develop the project.

Finally, exchanging  experiences at the dinner table or bedtime, draws a family close as they contribute what was fun or challenging during their day. Encouraging children to recount their experiences and feelings, not only teaches sharing, but also builds their language skills to verbally express and name their emotions such as “frustrated,” “embarrassed.” “excited,” or “silly.” 

3. Practice and prepare your child before his play date. Talk about and practice sharing with some favorite toys and give your child the words to navigate sharing. If your child has an especially endearing toy, you might want to take it out of commission during the play date. Invite the friend to bring along some of his favorite toys to contribute so the sharing isn’t so hard on the host. Some parents have found a good solution to kids being unable to share, is to put the toy in time-out. Trade strategies with other parents and see what works best with your child. Giving him a concrete time period for sharing is helpful. You can use a timer to measure the length of a turn, but younger children understand a more concrete time measure like “5 pushes on the swing and then it is your turn,” or “When I finish singing Old MacDonald, then it will be your turn to play with the airplane.”  Concrete language is easier for a young child to measure and understand than a more abstract concept such as 5 minutes. They understand the endpoint of “Five pushes” or “Count to 10.”xxx

4. Reinforce sharing with praise. Recognize when your child or a parent is sharing and label the experience with all the phrases that you typically use, “I like the way you shared your doll with Ling,” or “I bet that was hard to give up your truck for a few minutes, but Quinn is really happy to have a turn.” Don’t be afraid to use some adult vocabulary like “grateful,” “appreciate” and “pleased.” When you are first teaching the concept, keep your vocabulary consistent and limited in number so your child will learn the concept connected to the words. Then expand and use other words to name their “patience,” or “compassion.”

5. Read a story about sharing to learn the lesson through a book.

Mine! By Mathilde Stein: One night, ready to hop into bed, Charlotte found a little ghost under her covers. The only word he seems to know is, “Mine.” He grabs the covers, hoards the tub toys, is stingy with the sock pile and takes the toys. Patient Charlotte offers a rational reply to each act of selfishness. A friendship grows as the little ghost learns how to share and take turns.

The Boy Who Wouldn’t Share by Mike Reiss: Grumpy Edward, the keeper of the toys, will simply not share with his sister Claire—not his rocking horse, wizard’s hat or teddy bear. As he sits hidden inside his pile of toys, he misses out on a lovely chocolate treat while guarding his treasures. Claire, of course, doesn’t hold a grudge when her greedy brother has a change of heart and offers his tangle of toys to her for a day of creativity. Note: be sure to offer alternate language to the “Mine” reply that Edward uses repeatedly, such as “Let’s share.” “You take a turn.” “I am almost finished and you can play with this.”

It’s Mine! By Leo Lionni. Milton, Lydia and Rupert, three self-centered frogs  claimed the water, earth and air as “mine!” on their little island in the middle of Rainbow Pond. Not until a torrential rain flooded and covered their land, did the three frogs have to huddle and share the last rock. As the sun dried their little island, the three pals realized it was much more peaceful to declare the island “Ours!”

Too Many Toys by David Shannon. Mom’s perturbed with a house packed with toys. Efforts to persuade Spencer to part with his alien space weapons or convoy of trucks meet with resistance from the toy hound. Each toy is attached to its giver and can’t be let go, “Not Mr. Fluffers! Mom how could you?” After much negotiation, a box of give-aways is compiled. Too bad Spencer can’t part with the best toy ever—the box!

That Toad is Mine by Barbara Shook Hazen. Two boy buddies think they know how to share—a book, a bike, a game and what they like. It wasn’t until an enticing toad appeared that they realized some things just can’t be shared. As they argue about who gets the toad, he gets away. But true friends can’t stay mad and soon they are sharing a kick of a rock “until their mad is gone.”

One of Each by Mary Ann Hoberman.  Oliver Tolliver thinks he has a perfect life. Collecting all he needs in ones—a clock, a chair, a table, a bed, a pear, and a book—he’s forgotten to provide for a friend. His “lovely one of each” becomes a lonely place without someone to share it with. Learning his lesson, he changes his concept of perfect and gains some friends.

Take the lesson from these stories. It’s no fun unless you share.

Hang out for day with a child, and you realize that Valentine’s Day is everyday–filled with love and hugs overflowing. Capture the spirit with a fun picture book, whether chasing a kiss through the forest, freely dispersing hugs through a carnival, or laughing out loud at Rapunzel’s new love twist. Take time to read and talk about the book, enriching your child’s experience as you expand on the story and relate it to your little one’s life.

Babies and toddlers:

Won’t you Be My Hugaroo? By Joanne Ryder

Join this mom and tot zebra pair as they journey through the carnival, offering hugs tailored to their friends’ needs. A “calming hug,”  “twirly hug,” or “cheer-up hug” are just what the pig, elephant or bunny needs to face the scary slide, the spin until you grin teacup ride or a lost balloon. Your toddler will feel the energy and love these pals share as they hug their way through the day in Won’t You Be My Hugaroo?

Language and Literacy Tips:

Name your hugs as you go through the day, teaching your toddler new vocabulary like “twirly,”  “calming” or “excited hug” when you are anticipating some fun. Repeat the rhyming words, emphasizing the same final sounds—spin/grin, tight/delight, jiggle/wiggle—as you read. Children start to learn that words are made up of sounds. Recognizing rhyming establishes an order to the sounds, including beginning and end.

 Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

This is a wonderful bedtime tale of a little one and his parent declaring the immensity of their love for one another. It’s hard to top Little Nutbrown Hare’s sizable love–as wide as his arms, as high as he can reach, or upside down up to his toes! But Big Nutbrown Hare’s love reaches even wider and higher, “right up to the moon.” The endearing illustrations tell the story too.

Language and Literacy Tips:

Add gestures to the story of Guess How Much I Love You for your little one. Gestures precede and parallel language development. Children enjoy imitating your pantomime of the story and learn to follow directions and imitate–just like they will soon be imitating your sounds and words. Make up your own love comparisons, “I love you as high as the lamp or the mirror or the tree outside–or as wide as the table, couch or driveway.” Adding to your child’s understanding of vocabulary will build their eventual oral vocabulary.

Counting Kisses by Karen Katz

Kiss your tired baby right to sleep, counting backwards as you plant a wet one on “teeny tiny toes,”  “chubby, yummy knees,” or an “itty bitty nose.” Karen Katz’s vivid patchwork designs mesmerize babies as they unknowingly learn their numbers and body parts as well as yummy vocabulary through Counting Kisses.

Language and Literacy Tips:

Act out the book, counting your kisses, making up new lines to match your number of kisses to extend your story. Use a doll or stuffed animal to encourage your toddler to follow the directions of planting kisses. Children learn to follow directions (a 1 year-old typically follows 1 direction and a  2 year-old can follow 2 steps) and kissing sure makes it fun! This book also comes in a set that includes a kitty rattle with all the parts ready for a kiss.

Preschool Age and up:

Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox

When I was a little girl, I loved my well-worn collection of fables that included Rapunzel. I could recite, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” anticipating the love story that followed. You can imagine my interest in this version, Falling for Rapunzel, in whose clever rhyming couplets reveal a tale of confusion. Riding up to Rapunzel’s tower, the prince dutifully requested that she let down her hair. A princess who misheard each request, threw down underwear instead of hair, dirty socks instead of locks, dresses instead of tresses and and pancake batter instead of a ladder! A twist to the old tale, Rapuzel finally threw down her “maid” instead of her “braid” and they rode off happily ever after.

Language and Literacy Tips:

Add to the story making requests to throw something down (maybe items from her room—hat/cat, scarf/dog that went “Arf”) and match it with a rhyming mistake, just like the story. The sillier the better! Imagine a classroom of kids brainstorming on further funny misunderstandings.  Talk about poetry since each page is a poem in itself. The best learning happens when kids are having fun and don’t know they are creating. Read the original fairy tale, make a chart and compare the two. This helps children learn the language of comparison.

The Kiss That Missed by David Melling

Hurrying to give a hasty goodnight kiss to his son, the King missed his prince, as the intended kiss blew right by and bounced out the window. The king commanded his royal knight, “Follow that Kiss!” Mounting his horse backwards, revealing a silly rip in his pants, the bungling knight took off through the dark, snowy forest in pursuit of the royal kiss. Coming upon a potentially frightening scene, the knight watched as the growly bears, swooping owls and hungry wolves were gently put to sleep by the swirling kiss as it passed through the branches. The kiss did it’s last magic on a gigantic, hungry dragon, and the knight returned the kiss in time for a final bedtime story. David Melling’s comedic illustrations, in The Kiss That Missed, provide for lots of fun and commentary by kids.

Language and Literacy Building Tips:

After reading this story to a 2 year-old, we played a game of blowing a kiss, he catched it and threw it in different directions as I guessed it’s destination–”in the garage,” “under the table,” “out the door,”  or “over a truck.” What a fun way to teach prepositions and enjoy re-telling the story with a new twist. Look for the detail in the pictures and talk about it. Find all the animals hiding in the snow scene, talk about what is goofy about the knight, look at all the pieces of the story that come together in the final bedtime story scene.

Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell

Jules, the kitten, created by Mutts cartoon artist, Patrick McDonnell, sets out to give the world a hug. Not to miss anyone, he made out a “Hug-To-Do-List” of best friends, butterflies, and buttercups. He sets sail to see the world–Africa, India, the Rain Forest and the North Pole–distributing hugs of kindness to all he meets. A tale of loving our world and all that is in it, this book gives the littlest ones a bigger message of caring for our planet.

Hug Time can be read as a simple story to a toddler, or used with an older child to launch a discussion or writing activity about environmental issues. Look up a “babobob” tree and see what it is like. Talk about endangered species and what we can do to protect these animals. 

Since imaginative play builds language, as children invent stories, converse with peers, solve problems, share and take turns, a well-organized play area supports this development.

In my work with professionals in schools and families in their homes, I have seen a range of organization methods. Here are suggestions to get order in the playroom so creativity can thrive:

• Group toys by theme or category. The train, pirate, farm, school or playground bins should include props and people for that play theme.  Play with the farm will last longer and be more creative if your child has access to the animals, farmer, tractor, or hay. Little people promote conversation, so make sure plenty of characters are in each box by theme. Don’t have planes without pilots, zoos without zookeepers, or trains without conductors. I am tired of seeing train sets with no play figures available. Kids usually don’t talk for the trains and need pretend people to provide conversation. Typically a 3 year-old will pick up a miniature person and talk for it. A peer or parent can respond with another figure, extending the conversation, suggesting actions or solving problems. Flexible props like food, tools, clothes, vehicles, or buildings offer new options for the story line. Younger children need these props for their play, while older children will be more creative and “collect” props from around the house or use objects in an unconventional way such as talk into a banana as a phone. Another advantage of grouping toys by theme is that  clean-up becomes a language building activity. You are teaching your child to group items by category.
• Make toys visible and accessible. Think smaller when it comes to bins or containers. Clear containers allow your child to see what is inside–what  parts and pieces–so he can dig in and get just what he wants to keep the story going. Some systems  angle the bins downward so your child can easily see the contents. An inexpensive option is to use shoe boxes or baskets to gather the toys by type. There are several organizational systems over a wide price range. One of my favorites and most affordable is the Tots Tutor Deluxe Wood Organizer. Look for bins you can look into, and have easy access to books as well.

• Label by category. Exposing children to print, builds emergent literacy skills and gets them ready to read. They begin to recognize “Stop” on the road sign or “McDonalds” as they anticipate a Happy Meal. Since the playroom is their office, why not flood them with words in their place of work? Use the computer to print out large lettered words and pictures to identify your bins: “trains,” “vehicles,” “art”  or “balls.” Children will begin to associate the picture with the written word and what is in the container.
• Keep at a your kid’s level. View your child’s playroom from the floor as they do. Get down to their level and see if toys, games, puzzles and books are easily accessible. Often I have visited homes where a fancy rack held the books but the top shelves were too high for their child to reach. Always have a basket of favorite books on the floor of rooms where your child spends time, including the kitchen. 
• Provide paper and pencils. Research shows that preschoolers who practice writing letters, are better at recognizing letters. Having a permanent place for writing, with age appropriate materials such as crayons, colored pencils or markers and paper, encourages your child to incorporate writing into his play. Play money, signs, tickets and tags all contribute to pretend play. Add a small clip board and kids are mobile to act as a doctor writing out orders for his patient, a waitress taking an order, or a conductor writing out a train ticket. Written props can enhance dramatic play across many play themes–the doctor’s office, grocery store, restaurant, airport or school.
• Set a table for ongoing play and art work. Children need a space where they can add on to their play, whether they have created a town, a space center, or a grocery store. When my boys were little we went to Home Depot and bought a length of counter top to span between file cabinets that served as an uninterrupted Lego land. A small table to house art supplies gives kids an option to draw a picture related to their play or create a prop to expand their story. Add some trees to the train’s terrain, or make a book for the doll. I like this art table by Alex because it accommodates several children and has built in organizers with cup holders and cups to gather writing implements and a canvas bag to hold bigger items. The chalkboard top can be covered by a continuous roll of paper so kids can work independently.

So “Here are a Few of My Favorite Things:”

Birth-1 years and up”

eebee’s Adventure Play Mat and Play House (6 months to 3 years): Every now and then a toy comes along that I get really excited about. This is one. Maybe because I had an older brother and he was always making forts out of our couch cushions and planting me inside with a bowl of popcorn! This colorful set of foam sections, attachable with Velcro strips, invites your child to make a house and climb right in. Every day he can make a new creation, lift the curtain to peek out the window, catch a glimpse in the mirror, crawl through the circular hole or have a chat with a eebee’s life size face. crawling babies enjoy exploring the vibrant, textured panels even when they are laid out flat.

Language Building Tips: Follow you child’s interest and describe the colors, textures, and features of the panels. Use action verbs to name what your child is doing such as going “in” “out” or “through.” Provide a few additional props for an older toddler such as play dishes for a picnic or tea party.

Taggie First Touch Ball (6 months and up): This newest member of the Taggies family is a soft, cuddly, grabbable soccer ball with the smooth tags that attract kids. Great for rolling, retrieving, and jamming in the mouth, this ball inspires new crawlers to take off.

Taggies First Touch Ball

Language Building Tips: Place the ball a little out of reach and talk to your child about trying to get it as they reach and lean into it. Describe the little pictures and designs on the taggies before they are popped in her mouth.

Yookidoo Swap and Go Snail (6 months and up): Press his tail and this swirling snail with the goofy grin sets off across the floor.l Babies and toddlers are mesmerized before following this leader. With two options for rotating action, either place the swirling beads or stacking toy on the snail’s back. Each is a toy in itself as babies teethe on the rings and toddlers place them on the peekaboo face of the stacking totem. 

Yookidoo Swap and Go Snail

Language Building Tips: Describe the snail’s action, “circles and balls rotating on the wheels, white x-balls and nubby pink ones sliding down the shafts” etc. Don’t be afraid to use adult words. This builds a child’s vocabulary. Talk about what your child is looking at whether it is a black and white striped ring or the three pronged green tail.

Infantino Playtime Activity Center (6 months and up): This pyramid of fun has four flat sides of entertainment,–a mirror in the cat’s face, bugs to discover under textured flaps, and a jingle fish to swat in his fishbowl and two birds to settle in their nest. It’s angled just right for tummy time or a visit from a sitting or crawling baby. Parents love the portability as you release the velcro and open up a side, fold if flat and stash it in your diaper bag. Here’s a candidate for a plane trip or visit to Grandma’s.

Infantino Playtime Activity Center

Language Building Tips: Describe the action using nouns and verbs like putting the birds in and out of the nest, swinging the fish in his fishbowl, dropping toys down the center, peeking in the mirror or looking at the bugs. Talk about textures while comparing slippery, round and smooth, give names to the sounds of jingle and crinkle and point out colors and patterns.

Yookidoo Discovery Playhouse

Discovery Playhouse by Yookidoo (12 months and up): This kid’s hut made Parents and Parenting Magazine’s list of top toys for the year. Sturdy, yet easily collapsible, it provides fun inside and out. With kid-sized openings for coming and going, and shape sorting, spinning and ball play on the exterior, kids are entertained on all sides.

Language Building Tips: As with any fort, leave the imagination and creativity up to your child and his buddies. You can set some extra props outside the hut for their use: dishes, flashlight, pretend tools or food to be available for your child to expand his play. Remember to let him be the leader of his play.

Activity Stacker by Infantino

Activity Stacker by Infantino (6 months and up): Babies sit down for a munch on a variety of textured rings, each with a little different flavor of color, texture, pattern, and sound. Favorites are the ring with a little chick sliding along, a fish that rattles beads, and the shiny, crinkle, multi-pedaled flower. Each ring is easy to slip onto the base, which provides fun in its own right as a soft mallet to bang for a squeak.

Language Building Tips: Babies in the oral stage usually choose one ring at a time to explore in their mouth so you have the opportunity to describe all its features. Talk about chicks and fish, giving a few more details about them–where they live, what they do. Any new words you use to describe what she is doing, build her vocabulary.

Stacking Quartet by Haba (6 months to 3 years): An entertaining gang of a clown, mouse, and fuzzy

Stacking Quartet

chicken provide teething delight to a baby, especially the tall jester hat on the clown, play peek-a-boo as they nest together inside one another, fitting into their house, and serve as puppets for creative play for preschoolers. Haba’s characters are deliciously charming to both kids and adults.

Language Building Tips: Put an animal on your hand and start a conversation with another. Model a fun chat back and forth, making up a story about the characters, as if reading a book.

Preschool:

Dino Lego Valley

Dino Valley by Lego (3-6 years): Combine the creative, High quality brand of Lefo with a kid’s fascination with dinosaurs and you have a winner. 52 pieces easily slip together to form the valley of adventure as cavemen and dinosaurs co-exist. The tree, vine and drawbridge provide escapes and hiding places while a canoe, fishing pole and fish set the stage for storytelling. Visit the Lego website under Duplo for other great sets not typically seen at toy stores. I also like the “In and Around the Town” series like the farm and constructions sets.

Tips for Building Language: Take a dinosaur or caveman and start the dialogue with your child, alternating as he picks a figure to converse with you. You are building conversationally skills while your child is using his imagination and making up the story. Let him guide the story and follow his lead.

Step2 50’s Diner (2-7 years): This retro diner takes a kid’s kitchen one step further, providing attached seating and a pass through opening to place and get your order. Children can role-play, tkae a turn as chef

50's Diner

or customer. Take a seat in the booth, order your lunch and watch the chef prepare it on the grill, stove or in the oven. Pass the time listening to the jukebox until the “order is ready” button sounds. With a coffee pot, ice cream scoops and plenty of pretend food, this diner feed the imagination in any child. It will lead to many happy days!

Tips for Building Language: Stand back and watch your child build a story as she uses her imagination. After a while, point out different features or directions for play but only suggest, don’t lead. Add some new props such as a timer, measuring cups or dish towels to expand play.

Little People Airport

Fisher Price Little People Airport (2 to 5 Years): This toy was a favorite when I taught preschool several years ago and had just the same intrigue when I gave it to 2 year-old Will this week for an early Christmas gift. Combining air and land vehicles, what could be more fun for a boy? Several open-ended venues invite a child to use his imagination and make up variations on his play scheme–a picnic area, luggage claim, taxi, airplane and helicopter, gates to enter, air traffic control and plenty of highway to get to and from the airport.

Tips for Building Language: Bring play-doh to the airport and form food, carry ons, tickets etc that relate to the theme. Let your child’s imagination take off. See my article on using play-doh to extend play.

Circo Kid’s Frog Play Tent from Target (3 and up): Enter through the frog’s wide mouth, step across his orange tongue and you can zip yourself in to this hideaway. Easy to assemble, this fort is most like a tent with four collapsible tubes to support the frog. It breaks down to fit into a compact carrying bag. Big enough to hold some friends, it measures 35″ high and 71″ in diameter. The price is right at around $20.

Animal Scramble by Wild Planet (3 to 5 years): Want to run off some of that youthful energy? This preschool versions of Hyper Dash(an equally great game for older kids) keeps your children moving,

Animal Scramble

listening and following directions. With 5 levels of play ahnd 4 options to play alone, with a group, go on a treasure hunt or use your memory, this scramble will deep everyone’s interest. Listen for the giraffe to call out a clue using colors, numbers and animal sounds like “Which animal is green?” and tag it with the giraffe. This smart giraffe keeps track of your time so every dash turn into a race.

Games for ages 4 and up:

Pengoloo by Blue Orange (4 and up): Waddle on down to the South Pole and start gathering these adorable penguins for a hot game of Pengoloo.Kids love the element of surprise as they roll the two-colored dice and peek under two penguins per turn to reveal their brightly colored eggs. Get a match and declare they’re yours, placing them in order, 1-6, on your patch of ice. Keep it simple for a 4 year-old or step up the strategy and “steal” a penguin from your opponent’s iceberg to make your match. Blue Orange’s signature bright, bold graphics and tactiley pleasing wooden pieces attract kids and adults immediately. A full iceberg declares a winner who has reinforced color and number concepts and built visual memory skills.

Animal Soup by Briarpatch (5 and up): Kids beg to play Animal Soup again and again. Every player gets a flip book with variations on their cartoon-style animal. Each picture varies with the addition of a scarf, tiara, jeweled necklace, lei, or varied hats. It’s a race to be the first one to match your picture to the figures on the game board so the winner can collect an animal disc out of the soup bowl. Kids love this game, not realizing that while they’re madly looking for their animal match, they are building their visual discrimination, memory, and fine motor skills.

Clothespins! by Briarpatch (5 and up): This game of strategy requires the player to collect items of clothing by pattern—polka dots, stripes or wiggly lines, or by type—pants, tops or shorts. Finish three laundry lines with three matching articles of clothing and you win. But don’t let the bird steal your laundry! It’s a kid’s version of Gin Rummy!

Chocolate Fix by ThinkFun Inc (8 and up): This gold award winner from Parents Choice is a feast of fun! Take turns filling your customer’s orders at the chocolate shoppe. Flip to the page of visual clues on where to put your 9 tempting treats in three flavors and three shapes. Let’s see, the pink square chocolate is next to the dark circle chocolate. In the grid of nine positions, the chocolatier has to solve all the clues to place the pieces in just the right spot. With several levels of play, kids and adults are entertained. An added language building value is that kids love to role-play as the chocolatier and the customer!

Pirates Undercover by (5 and up): Pirates Undercover is a puzzle lover’s delight! Kids from 5 and up are challenged to use the 4 puzzle pieces to hide the pirate ships, rowboats, islands, and treasure and only reveal what is pictured on each page of the challenge book. The book provides 48 pages of images that must be left uncovered to master that challenge–from “starter” to “expert” to “master.” Parents want games they can play as a family and this is one of them. It can even be played alone, as a challenging puzzle requiring strategy and logic.

Why not take advantage of the buzz around Halloween and introduce some new books around the theme that can capture your child’s interest and build his language through rhyme, vocabulary and clever plots to spark conversation.

Bats at the Library, written and illustrated by Brian Lies, flies us through the library’s open window, carelessly left open one night, to the delight of a brood of fun-loving, book-loving bats.   During an “inky evening” that is “cool, calm and clear”, the bored bats declare a Bat Night at the Library. Forming wall shadows from the overhead projector, duplicating themselves on the copier, playing house in a pop-up book, swimming in the water fountain, and producing their own story time, these bats know how to love a library. Clever illustrations show the bats dreamily lost in the world of storybooks, imagining themselves in favorites from the past. Finally, as the sun peeks out, the nocturnal capers must come to a halt.

Tips to Build Language and Literacy:

•    Emphasize the rhyming words at the end of sentences and then repeat the two words—“All this sameness leaves us blue and makes us ache for something new.”  Blue-new. Talk about rhyming words, brainstorming more words that rhyme with “new” or add a rhyming line to the page that relates to the story and picture.

•    Point out that the author and illustrator is the same person. Our children are both author and illustrator for their writing work too. Find out a little about him. He loves libraries and visits them whenever her travels to new cities. What are things that your child really likes and would like to write about?
•    Repeat the rich vocabulary the author uses in describing his bats’ capers—“We’ve feasted, fluttered, swooped and soared and yet…we’re still a little bored.”  Who feasts? Who flutters? Who swoops? Who soars? The pilgrims,  a hummingbird, a pelican or an eagle. Brainstorm to think of as many things as you can that move like those verbs. In their story-telling and writing process in school, children are constantly asked to brainstorm ideas. Use that word as you have fun.

Queen of Halloween written and illustrated by Mary Engelbreit, is a simple but poignant story of a fairy venturing out on Halloween night with her friend, the pirate at her side. A perfect book to read to the younger set to prepare them for Halloween, this book deals with the excitement and trepidation of a night walking along dark sidewalks, ringing the neighbor’s doorbells and meeting others in costume who can be frightening. Lots of relevant lessons like “Don’t be scared, it’s just pretend,” “grownups come along trick or treating” and “try to be brave” are illustrated through the story.  Engelbreit’s vintage inspired drawings give a warmth to a first outing among goblins and ghosts.

Tips for Building Language and Literacy:
•    Use this book as a social story about a first Halloween experience. Walk your child through what happens and prepare them for the fun and fears of Halloween. This would be a good book for children with special needs to help them understand the trick or treating experience before they venture out.
•    Talk about feelings. Why is Ann Estelle scared? What should she do? When do you get scared?
•    Predict the story’s outcomes. Pause at appropriate places and enjoy predicting with your child. You model a prediction first and make this an enjoyable activity. “I think Ann Estelle is going to go back to her dad and not stay at the dark house’s door. What do you think?” Always praise any predictions. “Great prediction, let’s see what happens.” There is no right answer, the important thing is to be thinking ahead and proposing new endings to situations. This helps kids eventually create options in their own stories that they write.
•    Punch out the Ann Estelle puppet at the end and re-enact the story. Let your child be the storyteller. She can add on new episodes.

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon is the endearing story of a baby bat, separated from her mother after an owl attack, landing in a nest of birds. As their friendship grew, each tried to be like the other—Stellaluna, eating bugs from mama bird and the baby birds trying to hang by their feet. Finally, discovered by her bat friends, Stellaluna learned of her differences—her ability to see and fly in the darkness, eat a mango or hang by her feet. Anxious to share these abilities with her friends, she soon discovers that being so different is okay because really they are so much alike!

Tips for Building Language and Literacy:
•    Talk about what makes different animals unique. See how many characteristics you and your child can list
•    Chose two animals and make a list of what is the “same” and “different.” Make a drawing of each to illustrate your list.
•    Think of friends and what makes each one special—Quinn is a fast runner, Brooke is good at drawing, Ryan is fun or Will is patient. Talk      about how each friend has special qualities to appreciate.

Other favorites:

Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman

Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw

Enjoy sharing books with your child around the themes they are discussing at school or experiencing at home–holidays and timely events. Children learn more language when we are talking about what they are experiencing.

I know this sounds simple but my pick is Play-Doh. Yes, that squishable brightly colored molding clay begins as a blob of undiscovered fun and can end as a sandwich for your tea party, a chair for your play figure to sit in, letters to mail or a favorite animal to roam the forest. The next playtime with your preschooler try these tips to build language and have fun:

1. Pick a theme. Choose a theme associated with your child’s recent activity–a trip to the zoo, baking cookies, playing in the yard, going for a swim or visiting the playground. Or pick a theme based on your child’s interest such as pirates, castles, or dinosaurs. This is just a starting point. You are acting as the producer of his play by offering some fun components for him to use in creating his story and dialogue. Your child will take over as the director, beginning at the zoo and maybe ending up at the park for a snack. Put out the Play-Doh and start modeling with your hands as well as your language. Take out some large props as a background for your theme–Diego’s Talking Rescue Center, the Fisher Price Little People Sweet Sounds House or the Weebles Weebalot Castle. These provide the backdrop for your child’s story telling.
2. Add the little people. Now you are ready for conversation with people or animals that you can animate. You pick up a figure and start the chat with an open ended question like, “I wonder where we should go today?” or “What should we take to the beach?” Encourage your child to pick a person too and move your people for face to face conversations, planning your next play move.
3. Provide the Play-Doh. Show your child that anything is possible with a lump of dough. The animals at the zoo need food? No problem. Roll out some carrots, apples or hay out of the dough. Provide some starter thoughts on what to make and then sit back and let your child lead the imaginative play. Language is more greatly enhanced when a parent is involved in play but not directing the action.
4. Offer the tools. Make sure you have plenty of scissors, forks, knives, rollers or cookie cutters to start his imagination going and adding to his play scheme. Don’t go for pre-packaged sets that provide all the supplies. Instead, offer the tools to create his own food, animals, furniture or toys. While playing with a small oven, I have seen kids fashion a square of Play-Doh, flatten it and hang it up on the towel rack to dry hands after baking!
   
5. Give movable props. Provide a little wheelbarrow, shovel and bucket or oven to cook your delicacies. Slides, swings or vehicles can move your creations or provide an opportunity to change the action. Roll out a ball of Play-Doh for the park–sending it down the slide or pushing it in a swing. Use the shovel to dig and create crabs, fish, worms or whatever to transport in your bucket. Good props are open-ended so your child can use them in many ways, changing their stories and expanding language skills.
6. Expand the story. After following your child’s lead in play, occasionally introduce a new prop or idea to expand their story. Don’t take over. They are still the leader of play, but you have raised the language level when you move the theme to a new topic. While playing with a train set, you might offer a play house to be the ticket office and mold some tickets to be sold.
7. Introduce some themed props. While I find it easiest to gather props from different toy sets to create new stories, I do have some favorite sets based on themes that children love. Play-Doh’s “picnic bucket” and “beach bucket,” have cutouts, rollers, and props centered around food and the beach. The Play-Doh “Fun with Food-Meal Makin’ Kitchen Playset” has all the tools to cook up a tasty treat. Kids love to open and shut the oven, baking their creations and serving them up. After a trip to the beach, grab Play-Doh’s “Sand Sensations,” the brightly colored textured dough that feels like wet sand. Kids love to make castles and re-create their water experiences.

So be the producer of your child’s play, setting out some great props, Play-Doh and a creative child and watch the action begin!

Don’t we all want to hear about our child’s day–that she was included on the playground, had someone to sit with at lunch, understood what was going on in class, and most importantly had a “good” day? Recently I heard a mom’s conversation with her kindergartner after his first day of school. Her line of questioning went something like this, “Did you have fun today? Who did you play with at recess?” “Nobody?” “Wasn’t Jimmy there?” “How about gym class?” And so on, while her little one relayed his side of the story which sounded like he was a loner all day. In reality he was happy and enjoyed his first day and mom was a wreck because of his answers.

As a speech language pathologist, I have had to start and keep conversations going with kids from 1-18 (both ages have their challenges!) for over 30 years. So I want to offer some tips for getting your preschool and elementary-aged child to open up about school when she comes home:

1. Ask open-ended questions. Surely, “How was school today?” does not bring about the most conversation. For many young children it is too vague and they need a more specific question to help them remember their day. Avoid questions that can be answered in one word–especially “yes” or “no.” Rather try some open-ended questions like, “Tell me about the game you played at recess today” or “That’s a beautiful picture of the farm. Tell me about it.” or “I wonder what you had for lunch today.”
2. Use their artwork or take-home papers to start conversations. A research study by Marvin and Privratsky (1999) showed that when 4 year old children brought home objects from preschool including their art projects, the children referred to recent school activities significantly more than when they did not. Take advantage of these masterpieces, asking open ended questions of your little artist and don’t forget to listen. . Showing interest in their work can increase their self-esteem as well as link school and home. Recently a mom picked up her kindergartner’s two papers. One had a few identifiable drawings of sea creatures and the other was scribbly lines. She started describing the recognizable crab and fish and then pointed to the other drawings, pausing to let her son fill in. He proudly identified the drawings in question and went on to talk about how he made them. When asked about the scribbles he said, “Oh that just says I love you!”
3. Know their school schedule so you can start talking about library day, gym or art class. “What kind of books did the librarian show you today?” or “What did you find at the library?” “Tell me about the books that you chose.” Take the time to sit down and read the books with her, affirming her choice, and encouraging reading.
4. Know the themes they are learning--apples and farms, communities, the seashore, China or the rain forest. Have fun exploring the topics on the internet together, learning new facts to expand on her knowledge and discussing the themes.
5. Model sharing about your day. “I had a great day today. I talked to grandma and grandpa about…” or “I met a new friend and we had coffee at the beach.” It is important to share your interests, friends, challenges and joys with your kids so they see that communication modeled for them. There is nothing quite so rewarding as when my grown sons say to me, “How was your day today, Mom?”
6. Take time at the dinner table to talk about a good and bad thing that happened that day. Knowing that the family gathered at dinner is a safe place to share joys and disappointments, is comforting. Recently a mom of a 1 year-old told me that at her daughter’s first year check-up, one of the many questions the pediatrician asked her was, “Do you eat dinner as a family and talk about your day?” That pediatrician gets it! If parents start modeling communication with their one-year-old on a daily basis, they are more likely to have a teenager who knows how to share her day. Make it a game of thinking of a good and bad, happy and sad, or fun and challenging event that day. By encouraging your young child to talk about a hard thing that happened that day, you can provide emotion words to help her express herself such as, “You must have been disappointed when Sally didn’t let you join the game.” or “I bet you were frustrated when they were out of your favorite dessert at lunch.”
7. Use books as conversation starters. Choose a book about school and see what conversation unfolds. For a laugh out loud, read What a Day it was at School! by Jack Prelutsky. His collection of poems about school–tipping over with a heavy backpack, throwing food in the cafeteria, hopelessly competing with a classmate in gym, or emitting an accidental noise during class–is outrageously silly, getting a child laughing and connecting the stories to her school experience. After reading the book to a second grader, I asked her what happens in her school if someone throws food at lunch? She went on to tell me the rules, and all about Cody and Will when they made a mess in the cafeteria.
8. Take advantage of your child stalling at bedtime. One mother shared with me that if she lingers with her first-grade son after stories are read and the bedtime routine is over, she can count on about 10 minutes of chat about his day. He’s smart–he knows what mom likes and how to stay up longer!
9. Listen, listen, and listen. Once your child gets started talking about her day, hold off more questions and let her go. As parents, we tend to jump in with more questions, but pausing is important. A child gains confidence as she relates her day and you affirm her.

Reading to your child sets the foundation for emergent literacy skills—what children need to know before they actually read and write. With each story read, you are building your child’s vocabulary, phonemic awareness (understanding that words are made up of individual sounds), knowledge of letters and the sounds they represent, and narrative skills or story telling. Reading to your child not only prepares him for academic success but also says I have time for you, strengthening the special bond you have with your child.

These new picture books will spark discussions with your child about feelings, reactions, situations, or predictions. The beautiful, intricate illustrations can encourage your young artist to illustrate their thoughts or reactions to the story. Help your child to relate her experiences to the story and the story line to her world, building language skills in the process.

Trainstop by Barbara Lehman

Climb aboard this train, but be sure to sit next to the little girl rather than her parents who are engrossed in the newspaper and fall asleep, missing the whole adventure. Her face is pressed against the glass of the train car window, anticipating the new world she will enter after passing through a tunnel. Stepping out of the train into a world of tiny people, she is asked to help retrieve a toy airplane and pilot from the apple tree. Friendships develop, but it’s time to hop back on the train to return to the city. The magic comes full circle when upon arriving home, the girl looks up to see her little friends flying by to deliver a tree of thanks.

Tips to Build Language and Literacy:

How can so many story possibilities be packed into a wordless book? That’s the point. Beautifully illustrated wordless books provide a platform for creative story telling and writing. Encourage your child to examine the drawings and describe characters, contrast them, predict what they will do, describe their emotions and give them dialogue. Look at the parents versus the little girl—engrossed in their paper, falling asleep, indifferent to their surroundings while the child is anticipating adventure.

Your child becomes the author-story teller as she orally illustrates each page and gives words to the drawings. Try collaborating by alternating as the storyteller—you describe the action on a page and let your child add on to the story on the next page. Or each invent your own story, share them and see how they differ. Make this a family activity, assigning one member to write down the story as it unfolds or illustrate it as a group.

Try these strategies to enhance language development with other magical wordless books:

Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman

Hogwash by Arthur Geisert

Lights Out by Arthur Geisert

Max’s Dragon by Kate Banks

Max’s earnest search for rhyming words, sends him through a croquet game, rainstorm and adventures with his dragon. Initially an annoyance to his brothers, Max keeps up his lines, “If my dragon isn’t faster, there’ll be a big disaster” until brothers Karl and Ben are contributing too. When the dragon is threatened there is only one thing to do—create another rhyme to save the day.

Tips to Build Language and Literacy:

What a delightful introduction to poetry and rhyme! Since the understanding of rhyme is a precursor to reading, it is important to play with rhyming words with your child. Read the rhymes to a younger child, emphasizing the changing first sound (the “f” in faster and “d” sound in disaster), and then just repeat the two words: faster, disaster. With a child 4 years old and up, create your own one-liners. Start them off with a phrase such as “I can’t wait or I’ll be (late).” Look at a fun illustration and create rhymes based on the pictures. Throw out a word and see how many rhyming words you and your child can generate. A first or second grader can write his own poem based on a favorite activity, imaginary friend, or object. Sometimes starting with an illustration will help generate the language.

The Rubber-Legged Ducky by John G. Keller

Watch out what you eat when you are expecting! Mama duck nibbled a rubber band along with a clump of grass before giving birth. When she hatched her brood, the fifth duckling bounced rather than waddled, and cried, “Bing-boing” instead of the typical “Quack, quack.” This delightful tale is all about being different, or special with true potential, as only a mother could declare. Five’s rubbery legs were good for strumming accompaniments to sing-alongs and lassoing bullies but his greatest act of bravery was to stand against the fox, using his special talents to protect his family.

Tips to Build Language and Literacy:

Take the opportunity to discuss with your child how friends are different, what special talents we all have—maybe a good listener, helper or storyteller–and celebrate the differences.

The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli

Take the challenge to write the best story and win the first prize ride on a roller coaster. This little girl sought her family’s advice and one by one wrote a draft according to their suggestions. First she packed her story with action—pirates, sharks, and tornados—to please her little brother, Tim. When Dad said good stories had plenty of humor, she put the pirates in pajamas and revised her draft. Aunt Jane countered that the best stories have to make you cry. The little girl’s revisions to cause tears didn’t seem right either. Finally, Mom, the source of all wisdom, said, “I think the best story comes from the heart. Your own heart.” The little girl began pulling her story out of her own heart and it was a winner, contest or not.

Tips to Build Language and Literacy:

Summer is a great time for your child to keep a journal and write from her heart. Write about the best thing that happened that day, a new word learned and explain it, a favorite storybook, or all about a beloved relative. If your child is too young to write her thoughts, you be the scribe and take down her words. Draw an illustration with special markers and make it into a book.

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Being grumpy is a lot of work. Mr. Fish can’t seem to be cheered up by his convincing pals, Ms Clam, Mr. Jelly (Fish), Mrs. Squid or Mr. Eight (legged octopus). In spite of the efforts by his best-intended buddies, this dreary, sulking fish is convinced he is doomed to a life of mope. An unexpected visitor appears to plant a kiss on our prince to get this grump out of his slump. This charming tale is filled with strong vocabulary, rhythm and rhyme with stanzas to be sung with your little one.

Tips to Build Language and Literacy:

Model putting words to your emotions throughout your daily experiences. “I’m frustrated, I can’t get this lid open” or “I’m tired and grumpy. I need a nap.” “Please be patient, I can’t help you right now.” Identify and name emotions in stories that you read aloud to your child. “The little girl is selfish—always wanting her own way” or “Grandma is disappointed in her behavior.” Brainstorm words that describe the main character and see how many you can list. After reading a story to a first grade class, I collected fourteen words to describe the “bossy, impolite, ungrateful” little girl. Our little pout pout fish is “glum,” “mopey,” “dreary,” with an “unattractive trait.”

Point out repeated words that are isolated in the text, “Blub, Bluuuub, and Bluuuuub!” Your child will begin to associate the sound with the letter as you stretch out the word and even “read” the word next time you encounter that page.