DANCE, DANCE!

There is something really cute about a child who sings and dances. Every time I run a story time I always include an “active song” like “Shake Your Sillies Out” or the “Hokey Pokey”. I love watching little ones get excited about the movements and sing the songs on their way out of the door. The great thing about song and dance is that it can be done anytime, anywhere.

Song and dance teach rhythm, but more importantly they teach children to be creative and active. Toddlers at the library rarely know their right foot or left hand, but they DO know foot and hand so it is fun for them to try and balance and turn themselves around. It gives them a sense of confidence when parents and caregivers look silly along with them. I dance my sillies out all the time and I make up songs about every part of my child’s day. We sing about breakfast, about the errands we will do, what we will eat for lunch, naptime, playdates, bedtime, etc. I have been singing those songs since my oldest was born. It was amazing to see how my baby anticipated meals based on my singing, knew when we were getting ready to go outside (maybe that is because of the coat?) and was aware of bath time and bed time. Now that my son is older he sings with me the same ridiculous songs and we sing them to my ten month old. She also anticipates her daily routine and I firmly believe that singing (one of my favorites is “It’s feeding time, it’s feeding time, it’s feeding time, it’s feeding time) puts my daughter at ease because she knows a bottle is on the way. Try it out for yourself!

As for the dance, I say go where the music takes you! You don’t need kid songs to get your children on their feet, they will love any music you encourage. I love hearing my son say “I am clapping to the music” when we are listening to the radio in the car. I love when he sings the songs he learns from “Little Einsteins” and all of the theme songs he hears consistently. We all just smile and do our own version of the “Hot Dog Dance”. Give it a try – grab your little one and dance dance!

TV TIME!!!!

The trick to getting the most early literacy out of television is to watch with your child. Yes, you could just plop your child down in front of the TV or iPad or computer with an "educational show", but sitting with your child and bringing up aspects of what they are watching or review after the viewing can be extremely valuable to your child. If you are not home during the day with your child, preview the shows yourself and tell your caregiver what you approve and do not approve of.

Some of my personal favorites:
Super Why (PBS Kids) - this may be one of the most underrated shows on TV but it has an incredible amount of value when it comes to early literacy. My son 100% learned all of the lower case letters from watching Princess Pea spell in every episode. There is singing, reading, letter recognition...anything you can ask for in a 24 minute period is pretty much in this program. It was definitely a great find.

Sid The Science Kid (PBS Kids) - you know your child really pays attention to the screen when he takes a cup of water and pours it into another cup and says "I playing Science". There is something really special about this show. Every episode has the same structure: Sid wakes up, eats breakfast, goes to school, learns, plays, gets picked up by his grandmother, reviews what he learns and then heads to bed. Repetition is so important, think of all the choruses in songs and nursery rhymes! You get an added bonus of learning something educational in the field of Science and let's be honest, a kid who can sing about an inclined plane is very impressive looking in the supermarket!

Little Einsteins (Disney): A show that incorporates famous pieces of art with famous pieces of classical music. Adventure, singing, problem solving...everything a two year old wants in a television program that can make a mother relax while her child watches back to back episodes.

Of course there are so many shows dedicated to the toddler set it is so easy to just let your child watch whatever is on at the moment. Someone recently asked me why I let my son watch Thomas the Tank Engine because it has "nothing of value to offer a child". I told her that my son learns all about emotion from Thomas and Friends. When an engine does something wrong they usually frown and my son would say "Percy looks so sad" or "Emily looks troubled". When an engine gets praised you can clearly see "Thomas is so happy" or "James is so excited!". Learning emotion and how to express feeling is a huge feat in the land of toddlerhood.

My advice is pick and choose programs you believe your child will learn the most from and ask them questions about what they are watching. Make them tell you about the episode so that they are storytelling and expanding their vocabularies. If your child is too young for that, ask questions about specific parts. I do that a lot with my son and ask "What were they looking for?" or "Where was the dog hiding?" He can then answer "A key" or "In the kitchen" and recalling what he saw makes watching television an early literacy moment.