S.H.A.R.E. and R.E.A.D. with Your Child
As the national leader in emergency response and a leader in early childhood education, we鈥檙e providing parents, schools and communities with trusted resources, tools and tips about coronavirus and kids. Sharing books and reading together are powerful ways to bond with our children and help them learn. Here are some fun way to make the most of storytime at home 鈥 for babies, toddlers and elementary school-age children.
S.H.A.R.E. Books with Your Baby or Toddler
Sharing a book with your baby or toddler is a terrific way to bond, plus it helps build important early literacy skills, such as listening, growing vocabulary and understanding.
S - Snuggle with your child
H - Help your child turn pages and point to pictures
A - Ask your child questions about the story
R - Respond to your child鈥檚 comments
E - Enjoy this special bonding, brain-building time together!
You can help by looking together at the pictures and pointing out a few things 鈥 ask your child to turn the page or point to the flowers. Encourage your child with questions and respond to what she says. Help your child expand his thoughts by asking 鈥渨h鈥 questions, such as 鈥淲here is the dog?鈥 or 鈥榃hat does a dog say?鈥 Don鈥檛 forget, it鈥檚 okay to be silly and playful and know that your child may only interact with a few pages of the book at a time. You鈥檒l be surprised at all the talking you鈥檒l do and the fun you鈥檒l have together!
R.E.A.D. Books with Your Elementary School-Age Child
Reading to and with your elementary school-age child is the single most important thing you can do to improve school success.
R - Remember to mention the title, author and illustrator
E - Explain confusing words and concepts
A - Ask your child questions about the story
D - Discuss the story during and after reading
It helps your child develop enthusiasm for reading and increase reading growth, among other benefits. It鈥檚 important to read and reread well-loved stories, as well as new books that are beyond your child鈥檚 current reading level. This will teach your child many new words and help her understand how complex stories evolve and how fluent reading sounds. Discussing stories improves comprehension and helps young children recognize how to 鈥渞ead between the lines.鈥 Just pause every once and awhile and talk about the story based on what you鈥檙e thinking or what your child is saying. Discussing stories helps improve vocabulary, relate stories to real life experiences and grow critical thinking skills.
You鈥檙e not alone. As the world鈥檚 leading expert on childhood, 黄色视频is here to help. Visit Coronavirus and Kids: Resources from Save the Children for more tools and tips you can trust for parents, caregivers, teachers and all those who care about children in crisis.