Mathematic Picture Books

Have you heard of Wumbers? Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote, and Tom Lichtenheld illustrated, a punny book that will stretch your brain!

I've always liked number patterns and words, but when I thought I wasn't "good" at math in 5th grade, I threw myself into the world of words. Now, I don't think in terms of Numbers vs. Words, and I love to see adults and children nurture a love of both.

Here's a list of counting and other math books! And another extensive list of math-related picture books organized by subject!

And here's a list with descriptions of how to use picture books to teach math!

Happy weekend!

Book-Themed Gift Combinations

Turning 3 is a rite-of-passage, don't you think? Suddenly, a 3-year-old is mature enough for a million toys with parts that their 2-year-old self apparently couldn't handle safely. A three-year-old is ready for their very own cubby at their very own pre-school! A three-year-old picks out their own big-kid underwear. Their world is blown wide open with possibilities! (I'm not being sarcastic; I am just simultaneously amused and terrified for the much-too-soon day when my daughter will somewhat officially make the leap from toddler to kid.)

What should you give in celebration of this auspicious birthday? I suggest the Magic 3 Combo: something to READ, something to WEAR, and something to PLAY with.  

I'm not suggesting that one person ought to give three things--themed gifts like this would be perfect from a group, from all the aunts and uncles, for example. But if you're picking just one, go with something to read, because books are sadly under-represented at kid's birthday parties.

The Magic 3 Combo works for anyone at any age at any occasion, but here are 3 examples for a 3-year-old (with an estimated total price):

1. Eight Silly Monkeys illustrated by Steve Haskamp; Foamies Monkey Stickers; Barrel of Monkeys

2. Miss Spider's New Car by David Kirk; Pluie Pluie Kids Green Bug Rain Boots (sizes Toddler 5- Kid 2); Hot Wheels Dirt Track Race Toy Car 5 Pack
(The boots are the bulk of this price estimate, on sale for $37.99 as I type. I'm bugging out, they're so cute.)

3. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom written by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert; pipe-cleaner-and-bead backpack name label* (you can make it with the child in 5 minutes!); Melissa & Doug Alphabet Art puzzle

*beads, pipe cleaners and lanyard hook shown are from Hobby Lobby



What do you think?

This post was not sponsored (although, I wish that it had been) and contains only my personal opinions without guarantees.

P.S. If you want to play with me on Pinterest, that would be cool.

Pre-Literacy: Phonological Awareness

 
Phonological Awareness--meaning, an understanding of how sounds are organized and used in language--is fostered both overtly and subtly in education.

Overtly, speech pathologists (and other educators) use speech cues to help students recognize sound/speech patterns. I am fascinated by the patterns, and if you are, too, you can study these speech cue cards. 

Subtly, there are a world of silly songs and poems and stories that foster phonological awareness. Do you remember singing, "I like to ate, ate, ate, aples and baynaynays [...] eat, eat, eat, eeples and beneenees..." ("Silly Song" by Raffi)? It turns out that silliness had a secret mission.

What books help teach phonological awareness?

There are so many fantastic rhyming books! Baby A is far from making rhymes or recognizing sound cluster patterns, but she currently has an obsession with "Pop a Pop", otherwise known as Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss.

My sister is an avid reader and all-around intelligent person, so I trust her (and millions of others') childhood favorite wordsmith Shel Silverstein. And it's no secret I'm a huge Sandra Boynton fan.

But not all of Silverstein's or Boynton's or other excellent author's books rhyme, and many good books that don't rhyme are great for practicing phonological awareness. Read books that are charming, and curiosity will lead to learning.

Once a child knows how to read, it is still useful and fun to practice phonological awareness, and its cousin, spelling. I like the letter rocks pictured up top, and I've seen some with clusters like "ing".

Here's the rest of the Pre-Literacy series:

Vocabulary
Print Motivation

Print Awareness

Letter Recognition

Narrative Skills

(To clarify, pre-literacy skills develop at different paces, and not necessarily in a particular sequence, for each person.)


P.S. letter rock games
P.P.S. St. Patrick's Day book + party ideas

Have a lucky weekend!

Pre-Literacy: Narrative Skills

 

Okay, that video has been around for years. But I don't think there is a more adorable and appropriate way to introduce the pre-literacy skill of narration. When a child understands that stories have structure (usually: beginning, conflict, end), and has the short-term memory to explain elements of a story (characters, setting) or to retell a story they've heard or experienced, they have narrative skills. Speech-Language Pathologist Rachel Betzen explained kindergarten-readiness/pre-literacy skills at preliteracy.com, and I stole these narrative-related skills from her checklist:

•  be able to talk about about his or her everyday experiences
•   understand two-step verbal directions
•   understand and remember simple stories
•   understand 2-3 steps involved in sequences of events or stories
•   be able to answer simple questions about stories and routine experiences

(end quote) 
Encourage narrative skills by:

• ask about her or his everyday experiences
• give two-step verbal directions, and help her or him follow through (ex: Choose a book and bring it to me; Pick up your fork and put it on the table)
•  ask for help telling a story she or he is familiar with; ask her or him to "read" a favorite picture book to you; perform fingerplays that tell a story, (such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider"); invite her or him to retell a story (ex: tell Grandma about when you saw the dolphins)
• ask questions about a story: What happened at the beginning of the story?; And then what happened?; Why did he feel sad/frustrated/excited?; Did that [solve the problem]?; What happened at the end?
• ask simple questions about stories and routine experiences: Where does [the main character] of this book live?; What do you do first every day when you wake up? 

Do you already read, talk, and play like this? What books do your pre-literate tots "read" to you? 

Baby A is currently all about the "Oops!" Hassu kalkkuna! [Silly turkey!] in Boynton's Blue Hat, Green Hat. And look, there's an app for it.

Pre-Literacy: Letter Recognition

Letter Recognition: Recognizing the Letters of the Alphabet. You probably put that together on your own. Once you're in the thick of practicing letter recognition, you'll correlate objects and letters and say stuff like, "A is for apple. And Anna. And Alexandra." Just me?

A kindergarten teacher recently told me that almost all of her students wrote their names at the beginning of the school year--in CAPS only. She guessed it was because their parents taught them the capital letters, and then taught them to write their name with those letters. 52 symbols is a lot for a four-year-old to master, and no parent wants their child to be the only one not writing, do they? The pressure to write and read at earlier and earlier ages is intensifying, which I fear is imposing pressure on toddlers rather than facilitating growth in their natural desire to learn. 

Teach and practice letters as early and as often as you and your tot like, but make sure it's for fun! I looked no further than Pinterest to find my favorite letter-practicing ideas (but I'm linking to original sources):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Fishing for Knowledge" (letters written on juice lids fishing game instructions)

magnet letter matching tutorial

Tag Toys motor letters
These are gorgeous but too pricey for me--any DIY ideas? (I am imagining a small peg with buttons attached to each end through chipboard carved with an Exacto knife...)

P.S. ABC books and other alphabet gift ideas
Easy DIY dry-erase magnet board (cookie sheet)

Pre-Literacy: Print Awareness

Baby A has recently showed budding print awareness, the third of six pre-literacy skills. Print awareness is self-explanatory: recognizing text, and that it is organized. A child with print awareness skills may recognize that the grocery store lane lamps have numbers on them, or be able to point out the text on book pages. Print awareness can be fostered in everyday life:

Point out literature in the environment, such as street signs, menus, words on clothing, or the child's name on a doctor's office bill. (This was already discussed with print motivation.)

Describe books by pointing out the front cover and the back cover, turning the pages in order, and running your finger along words to demonstrate reading left to right and top to bottom (in English). This also demonstrates that you are not making up words for the book, but that you are reading. Feel free to go off-script, but pointing to words as you read them will show that you are reading what is written.

Print awareness doesn't need to include recognizing letters or words--just that written words exist and that they can be read by others. 

Here's an example of Baby A's budding print awareness--she knows there are letters, and can sing most of the alphabet, but she doesn't know A from K, yet. It's all OK to her...

Pre-Literacy: Print Motivation

Happy Valentine's Day! Let's talk about a love far more enduring than tit-for-tat romance: a love of reading!

When did you fall in love with reading? And have you fallen in love with writing, too?

I hope you've held books dear since a very young age. If a child shows interest in books, even in mouthing them, print motivation has sprouted. When they begin to enjoy being read to, flipping through books, and scribbling as if to write, they are well on their way to a love of literacy. Here are three ways to encourage print motivation:

me and Baby A

1. Make reading together quality time. I've talked about cuddling up for a read before, but any positive association with reading not only builds a bond between the readers, but between the readers and books. (Remember these adorable family reading pictures from Emily of Ruffling Feathers?)

Woman Reading by Alexander Deineke

2. Read to yourself. And write! If reading is just for kids, they'll grow out of it fast! Set the example by reading and writing in front of children. It tickles their curiosity to see how compelling and endless the joys of literacy are throughout life.

source

3. Point out and explain literature in daily life. There is a sign at an indoor playground near me that says Please do not let children climb on top of the dinosaur. Once (out of dozens of visits) I heard a parent say, "Get down, please. See that sign? It says we can't climb on the dinosaur." Respectful parents like that teach children to follow safety rules and pay attention to the literature in their environment. Talk about signs like the litter one above, or the address on your mailbox, or the words on your cereal box. An awareness of how society works, and also of how literacy is a tool, will sink in.

Are you doing these already? Print motivation is practically a side-effect of a literature-rich environment, don't you think? 

But like Mem Fox said to Design Mom: "Read to them endlessly, for the sake of the love between you and not the educational duty of care." 

Mem Fox did write a book on tapping in to the magic of reading. And I love her Ten Read-Aloud Commandments.

May you fall more deeply in love with literacy and those you share it with today!

Pre-Literacy: Vocabulary

One of the best ways to build and maintain vocabulary is to read, right? But what about before you know how to read?

What's the best way to build a baby's (or anyone's) vocabulary?

Talk! Talk about what you're doing. Let's unsnap your pajamas. And pull out your arm. Oh, good stretch! And your other arm. And wiggle those legs right out. I found your toes! Ooo, do you feel cold? It's cold without clothes! All the live-long day, talk talk talk.

And listen! Try not to interrupt your baby's babble. Look them in the eye as often as possible when they grunt or babble. When they pause, respond to what you imagine they're saying. Every baby finds their own rhythm of conversation. When Baby A was only a few months old, I had to interrupt her babble with Ahaa or Niin every ten seconds, or else she would stop. I guess she didn't want to waste her breath if she thought I wasn't following.

When they attempt to say words, validate and repeat the word after they've said it. Example: Baby: [pointing to a ball] Ba! Adult: Ball! [offering the ball] Would you like to hold the ball? This corrects or reinforces correct speech in an empowering way. Avoid "baby talk", as it confuses, and avoid negativity about or scolding for incorrect or delayed speech.

When reading, point to the pictures while you are talking about them. This is particularly easy in picture books with simple plots. 

 

I've always pointed to the telephone, red balloon, bears, chairs, etc. in Goodnight Moon. Ask toddlers to point, such as Where is the red balloon? Ask questions about the pictures, Have the kittens stop playing with the string?

P.S. A bedroom inspired by Clement Hurd's great green room.

P.P.S. Mo Willems' Listen to My Trumpet publishes TODAY! Mo says, "Piggie can't wait to play her new instrument for Gerald! But is she ready to listen to his reaction?" You can run out and be the first of your friends to snag it. Except you won't beat me to the bookstore.

Journey to Literacy

Baby A reading in a half-packed suitcase

Do you remember when you learned to read and write? We may not realize it, but we begin our journey in literacy from birth (maybe before)! We take a thousand steps: recognizing sounds, appropriating labels, sitting still, mastering finger movement, connecting words, pictures, and ideas, understanding concrete and abstract concepts, using symbolic expression; all these (and other) steps lead us to make sense of and communicate ideas and feelings through literacy.

One of the library storytimes we attend points out a pre-literacy skill that parents can practice with their kids. Often, the suggestions are activities that are already part of our routine, but it is fun to get a reminder or at least a pat on the back, if not a great new idea or resource. 

I've decided to a series on pre-literacy activities and practices, with picture book suggestions to reinforce them.

A big credit goes to this Six Early Literacy Skills article by Multnomah County Library. For six weeks, we'll discuss one skill and fun ways to foster its development, each week. Are you interested?