After reading a book to your child, extend the experience with an activity–talk about how the story relates to your life and your child’s experiences, act it out with props or draw a picture.
Recently I read Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems, using the cute plush pigeon who yells, “Let me Drive the Bus” when you squeeze him. Little Elle loves Mo Willems books and has used them to learn to read. She got so excited when I finished the book, that she got out her markers and drew this darling picture (minus the toes on one foot!) I can tell what details she took away from the story by her drawing.
Use your child’s illustration to launch a discussion and re-tell of the book. Talk about what happened at the beginning, middle and end. What changed? What was the problem and how was it solved?
As we encourage kids to think about a good story in a picture book, the sequence of events and how they relate to one another, we are helping kids to think like storytellers and writers.
I have several early elementary aged boys on my caseload and am always looking for interesting materials to keep them actively involved in the therapy session. Silver Dolphin’s The Field Guide to Dinosaurs fascinated them! One little boy left the room and yelled to his mother, “Mom, you can’t believe how many pieces are in one small book!” He was referring to the 8 dinosaur models made up of 70 pieces that slide together with A-B-C instructions, just waiting to be assembled by kids. Then he looked at me and said, “I can’t wait to show this to my dad.”
Known for their “active” books, the publisher designs books with smaller bits of information and some hands on activity to keep children engaged who might be less inclined to attend to a book. They lend themselves to reinforcing acitivities during a speech therapy session. If a child is practiciing an /r/ sound, read the information about the dinosaur and practice his words while putting together a model. If he is working on languge goals, summarize, predict, write a story about finding the fossils, or develop a paragraph with three supporting details. There are lots of visuals to reinforce learning and get the discussion going.
Written in the form of a journal, as paleontologist Jackson Foster searches from Arizona to Alberta, Canada to uncover fossils from little known dinosaurs, this guide could also serve as inspiration for students who journal their real-life experiences or take on a character and develop events to complete a make believe story.
An added treat is the diorama located at the back of the book which pops out easily to make a backdrop for the dinosaur models.
“The Field Guide to Dinosaurs” was provided by Silver Dolphin. The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author.
Yesterday, I met a mom and a little boy whom I will be working with. He is relatively newly diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mom had a lot of questions. We started talking about reading and she said he loved books but wanted the same one read to him each night. It happened to be a rhyming, repetetive book.
One of the advantages of being a speech therapist in private practice is that I meet with children in their homes so I get to know the family and can “teach” the parents too. I look forward to helping this mom learn what books are beneficial in building her child’s language and “how” to read to him to the best advantage.
First of all, choose books that have a simple story that your child can relate to within his experience (going sledding in the first snowfall, having a Halloween party and making popcorn, going camping, eating, sleeping, playing etc.). Make sure the drawings are simple enough not to distract from the story. I have provided a list of good books I have used here. Set aside some of the fun and wacky Dr. Seuss type of books where kids tend to memorize them and repeat phrases from the book. Instead, offer some books with interesting stories, something to laugh at and keep their interest. Try using dialogic reading which is talking ABOUT the page’s illustrations, not reading the text exactly each time. Since the goal for many kids on the autism spectrum is to generate flexible language, we want to model that for them. Tell the story in a little different way each time, using various describing words and finding a new detail to talk about.
I love working with parents but usually it is Mom who participates in our therapy sessions or moms who attend talks that I give on talking, reading and playing with your baby to encourage language development. When the dads show up, I always get some fresh, fun take on the subject.
Today, as I was reading a book to a little boy, I was explaining to his dad that you can read the text of the picture book or simply talk about what is on the page illustrated by the pictures. Dialogic reading, I told him, is when you talk about all that the pictures are explaining, so you might spend extra time on each page using more descriptive language and vocabulary than is actually in the text. Research has shown that when parents “read” this way to young children, the kids make greater gains in language development.
Dad looked at me and said, “I get it. It’s like in college when I would read the text before going to class, but when the professor gave his lecture and talked about the information in the text book, it made sense.” What a wonderful analogy.
Thanks, Dad, for your amazing insight!
As a speech pathologist, I am always interested in what others in my profession are producing besides doing therapy. I came across these delightful books called, God is with me Through the Day, and God is with me Through the Night that are authored by speech pathologist, Julie Cantrell. Perfect for toddlers and up, God Is With Me Through the Day, takes a child through the apprehensions of their day and night, as they leave the safety of family laughter and mom’s kisses and run out into the world, alone.
Pairing a simple sentence, “I start to feel alone,” with a matching picture of an animal seemingly feeling the same emotion–a lonely raccoon peeking out from behind a bush–each page builds on reassuring spiritual concepts of “God is always with me,” and “Just like when God kept Jonah safe inside the whale.” Cheers of “God loves me,” ”I am safe!” and “In God’s hands I am strong!” give little ones something to say in the face of fear, relying on God.
Just enough language for a toddler or preschooler to master, each short statement comforts a child, leading up to the final Bible verse, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3
God is with Me Through the Night is a perfect sequel, taking your child from the comfort of evening family fun, goodnight kisses and snuggles, to feelings of loneliness and fear. Encouraging your child to declare God’s comfort and assurance, the animals encourage, “I say out loud, ‘I am loved!’ or “I roar like a tiger, ‘I am safe!’”
These books are adored by children and would make a great Christmas present.
Recently the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) examined scientifically based research on what factors were influential in predicting literacy in children. They looked at what skills were taught before kindergarten that would contribute to successful readers when kids entered school. In examining the literature, the panel also determined what type of intervention was most effective in teaching early literacy skills to children.
Here is what they found, according to an article in Advance Magazine:
“Language Areas Related to Later Literacy Skills:
· Alphabet knowledge
· Phonological awareness (the ability to understand that words are made up of a sequence of sounds)
· Rapid automatic naming of letters and digits
· Rapid automatic naming of objects and colors
· Writing or writing name
· Phonological memory
Language Areas with Moderate Correlation to Later Literacy:
· Concepts about print
· Print knowledge
· Reading readiness
· Oral language
· Visual processing”
This information can be helpful in sharing with parents when they often ask how important it is for their 2 year-old to know his letters or what they can do to help prepare their child for reading. In addition, we as speech language therapists can incorporate these skills into our activities whose primary goals are to build speech and language.
As educators, we strive to inspire our students to learn in an interesting and exciting way and then sit back to see if a child can use what we have taught them.
Last week, when I arrived at Quinn’s house he was so busy “writing a chapter book.” I came along side him to see what had inspired him. Obviously his inspiration came from the creative teaching by his kindergarten teacher who has been encouraging the kids to write. Quinn had been reading 101 Animal Secrets by Berger and it was open to the page about giraffes.
On the first page he had written, “Chapter 1, Giraffe Eat Leaves.” On another he wrote “Giraffe Runs.” Then he went on to beautifully illustrated his “chapters.” This little self-starter had been motivated by a book, to write his own story and illustrate the pages. As an educator, there is nothing more precious that watching a child take what he learns and make it his own. Great job, Quinn!
Well, we are winding up a month of celebrating poetry and I have enjoyed every bit of it! Clever poems teach the rhythm of language, rhyme, humor and condensing ideas into clever language.
I wanted to share some of my favorites for kids:
Dirt on my Shirt by Jeff Foxworthy with illustrations by Steve Bjorkman. Designed for kids from 4-7, this collection of poems gets the younger set giggling. “Dirt on My Shirt,” the poem for which the book is named shows a boy delighting in a shower or mud—just what one would expect from a boy. Using themes that kids can relate to, “Are We There Yet?” “Staring Contest,” “Hide and Seek,” or “Bubbles,” this collection of poems finds the funny in everyday but keeps it simple enough for preschoolers. A special treat is the two-page spread, “What Do You See?” where the listener is invited to find 33 animals in Bjorkman’s lively illustration of life at the lake.
My Dog May Be a Genius by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson. Kids can’t get enough of Jack Prelutsky’s poems and his newest collection will continue the hilarious fun. His twist of words and imaginative subjects fall into perfect rhyme and cadence while leaving us laughing at his silliness. Some of my favorites are “The Underwater Marching Band,” “never having played a single sound on land.” Who are “disinclined to fret” yet “perennially wet.” I can’t do justice to the genius that Prelutsky employs with words. Manipulating them like a wizard, he makes language fun!
Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox and illustrated by Lydia Monks.A twist on the old fairy tale, this story is a laugh in rhyme. Each time the prince asks Rapunzel to throw down her “hair” or “curly locks,” she sends down her “underwear” or “dirty socks.” He’s a little too far away for her to pick up what he’s saying but she manages to extrapolate a rhyming word that sets the story on a hilarious path.
Dinothesaurus written and illustrated by Douglas Florian. Just out, this collection combines witty poems about a kids’ top topic with clever collages. Florian’s playfulness with words encourages children to attempt poetry with zest. Modern touches on an ancient subject bring these poems alive: “Gigantosaurus…when it was hungry or got into fights, It opened its jaws and took giga-bites.” Meanwhile, the water colored Gigantosaurus is taking bites of cutout images of cellphones and computers!
What are your favorite children’s poetry books? Share them in the comments below.
I am often asked to recommend baby books and admit I am pretty picky as to what I suggest. Here are some of my criteria for a stimulating and enjoyable book to share with your baby into toddlerhood:
- simple subject related to your baby’s experience and world
- lines with lots of rhythm and beat to encourage baby to move
- rhyming lines
- repetition of simple phrases or words that baby hears over and over and can anticipate
- fun vocabulary related to her world, not limited to “easy” words
- simple, bold graphics depicting the subject matter, giving parents lots to describe related to the story
- several beginning concepts embedded in the story form (colors, counting, numbers, prepositions), to carry the story beyond just a baby book into toddlerhood.
Five Little Ducks disappear, one by one, ignoring mom’s call to come back to her Quack! A concise number book of subtraction, interactive touch and feel, rhythmic rhyme and bold graphics leads your baby through the circular cut-outs to reveal remaining ducks and flowers to count. Babies follow the adorable ducks, rocking to the rhythm of the verse, soaking up the rhymes and grabbing the cutouts to turn the pages. Revealing an array of concepts, this baby book takes your little one from her earliest days as a newborn listening to the rhythm of language, through her first year and a half, hearing rhymes, counting ducks and flowers, recognizing numbers, and finishing repeated phrases. This baby book has staying power with plenty of learning for many months.
In our effort to raise a generation of little ones who celebrate the differences in friends and are educated in classrooms that includes all kinds of learning styles and disabilities, we look for good books that tell the story of turning a challenge into some fun.
I was excited to find this gem in the “new books” section of our children’s library in town. A tale about Jenny Sue’s travelin’ eye (due to strabismus), we learn how she embraces being different by seeing the world in a whole new way.The real Jenny Sue, author and illustrator Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, has written this endearing autobiographical story from a child’s perspective. Maybe that is why she doesn’t miss a step–what it feels and looks like to have a disability, how people react, what the steps are to get help from the doctor, and how to cleverly face being different to become included. Her punchy illustrations in collage, bring a cheerful element to a challenging situation. See my full review.
I was attracted to this book because it had a refreshingly new topic–one which I was familiar with on several counts. You see, I had a bit of a travelin’ eye as a child. When I looked to the left, my right eye 
turned in too far, right next to my nose! I had to do exercises and wear what I considered ugly glasses beginning in second grade. Unfortunately, glasses weren’t the fashion statement they are today so I dreaded my yearly visit to the optician to select new eye wear.
The other endearing part of the story that I related to was Jenny Sue’s mom stepping up and making her sad situation into one of turnround joy. Likewise, my mom was and is my best cheerleader. In spite of the ugly blue, luminescent glasses that I picked out, I remember my mom always telling me how beautiful I looked in them. Her impact has and continues to be positive on our family including her grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. So this blog is dedicated to my mom, almost 83 years old, who knows how to find the joy in spite of a disability. You see she has lived with multiple sclerosis for over 57 years but manages to be a light in so many lives.
