My Favorite Purchases For My Kids...

When it comes to buying toys for my children, I always think to myself "How many times will this be used"? Certain toys are definite staples in a house with babies - soft and large balls to roll around, ring stackers, fake keys (even though they always want the real ones), stuffed animals and board books. However, I have made some purchases for my children that I definitely second guessed at the time, but have become staples in enhancing early literacy in my toddler's day.

Every child loves to "push the buttons" on their parent's laptop or computer, so I figured it was obvious I should get my son his own laptop. At first I found the sounds of the "Little Scholar Laptop" extremely irritating but then my son started to mimic what he heard and walked around saying "The letter "w" says "wha". I then realized this was probably the best $18 I ever spent. Within a few months my son was able to make the sound of most of the consonants and with the help of "Wheel of Fortune" my son was able to recognize all of the upper case letters. There are also other games on this "computer" including "find the letter" or "spell the word". There are so many of these "laptops" out there (I know LeapFrog makes a similar one) so if you were debating it as a gift for your one year old the answer is absolutely go for it!

Remember those wooden blocks from when you were a child that had letters, numbers and pictures on them? When my son got them as a gift for his first birthday I thought to myself "What a great thing to regift since we have so many other types of blocks". I am so happy that my son ripped the box open because they truly play an integral part of his early literacy education. He can build a tower and then I help him spot the letters that spell the word "tower". Now that he knows the letters and numbers, we spend a lot of time focusing on the pictures on these blocks. It helps to expand his vocabulary and the pictures vary from elephants to ice cream cones.

One time I was shopping in the pharmacy to quickly pick something up and my son decided it would be a great idea to reach out of the stroller, grab a box of Munchkin foam letters and numbers (a bath toy) and open it up in the store leaving me no choice but to buy it. When I took them home, I played with the idea of letting these be special for the bath, but realized he would never play with them there (maybe when he starts to spell we can have spelling bees at bath time). Instead, I put them in a bin and we play a game called "pick a letter or number and tell me what it is". We take turns and we can do this for a half hour easy. You can even make this game yourself, no need to buy the foam letters. It has evolved with my son's knowledge and now when we pick a letter we also have to say the sound it makes (if you pick a number you obviously don't have to make a noise).

I love every musical instrument that my child owns. I love when he plays songs on his piano and gives them titles (my personal favorite, "Be Careful"). I love when he plays his xylophone and sings along. The instrument I love the best is his own two hands, when he hits a surface and says "I am banging like a drum". Music and rhythm is so important and helps a child focus and enjoy playtime in a totally different way. So don't worry if your pots and pans become a drum set, your child is exploring the world and learning a ton!

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.

My Son's IPad...

Yes, you read that correctly. My SON is the proud owner of an iPad mini. He got it for his second birthday. What does he do with it? He learns many nursery rhymes courtesy of Fisher Price, he learns stories thanks to Nosy Crow, and he learns his letters, numbers, colors and shapes thanks to many other developers. My son is not yet two and a half, but he knows the entire upper and lower case alphabet by sight. He can count to 20 and can count backwards from 10. He knows so many names of shapes I am shocked (pentagon? decagon?) and he knows all the colors of the rainbow plus grey, pink, brown, black and white. While I wish I could say I taught him all of this myself, I have come to conclusion that the IPad is his teacher, and I simply reinforce what he is taught in his virtual classroom. I make sure we play games based on what he is learning throughout the day. When we are out on a walk we will spot things he sees in the stories he is read (ex: trees, traffic lights, zucchini or peppers at the supermarket). We sing the songs he learns throughout the day, and my most favorite, I watch him draw circles or certain letters on the window when they are fogged up. It is such an incredible thing to see how my child takes what he sees on a screen and applies it to paper and the world around him.

I see people judge me ALL the time. They tell me it's extremely bad for him and that I should be ashamed that he has "so much screen time" (how do you know how much time he has on this device? What makes you think he is always on it?) but I am not and I take pride in the fact that I am a mom not ashamed to say my son can navigate an Apple product better than I can. He has learned SO MUCH from his preschool education apps that I truly believe this tool is essential in teaching early literacy. There are many different ways to teach reading skills. What better way to teach the letters than an interactive interface? It's 2014, there is no way children can get along in this world without technology, so put the right apps on your IPad and give your child the gift of reading on a whole new fun and engaging level.

Disclaimer: My son does not sit on his IPad all day. He has time limits because I believe that it is important he does not stare at a screen for a prolong amount of time and he also needs to talk to people and read books and eat and play outdoors....

Board Books

Those very square supposedly unbreakable short books that somehow find their way into every baby's mouth - those are "board books". While the claim is they are more sturdy than regular picture books, somehow their binds crack and they seem to get ripped apart as soon as a baby gets teeth. No worries! You are still teaching your child literacy because they are learning how to handle a book during this process. Seems impossible right? Actually, holding that book makes the baby look at the words and pictures, so they are learning books have words and pictures.

There is no such thing as a "bad book" to give a baby or toddler, but some are definitely better choices than others. It's a great idea to mix it up at story time for your little ones. It is great to show off books that have one picture per page with the word underneath (or above it) and children greatly benefit from touch and feel books, but don't stop there! You would be surprised at how long your toddler can actually sit. Be wary of books that are shortened into board books, they don't always make sense, while others are excellent like Dr. Seuss's "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You"? or "Go Dog, Go!" by P.D. Eastman. By the time my son was two years old he was able to repeat these books by heart.

Babies also love to look at other babies and there are great books that go through daily sequencing or colors starring cute ones that are definitely worth investing in. Remember, it is okay if during story time with your baby or toddler they take the book from your hand and decide you aren't going to finish the story. It is important they flip through it on their own and explore the beauty of the physical book. There will be plenty of time to read the book cover to cover over time. Enjoy this precious together time!

Bounce Baby Bounce!

Not so into grabbing a book? There are other ways to engage your child, specifically through song and rhymes. Your baby loves your voice, so no need to feel like your tone-deafness will be a problem! The best part about this is that there is no wrong way to do this, and it can be done any time any where.

Singing: Songs teach so many language skills: vocabulary, syllables, rhythm and rhyme.

You can sing ANYTHING - whatever you love from the radio, songs that were sung to you when you were little, your schedule of the day (I am very guilty of singing songs to my kids about getting dressed, feeding time, bed time etc.). The next time you are in the car, sing along to whatever you are listening to. When you are out on a walk, sing about the trees and cars you are passing by (or you can just point them out and make conversation with your little one). My favorite songs to my first child were the ones from his toys that played music. They were so catchy and they were Fisher-Price's versions of songs about the colors, the parts of the body and some bizarre "I Love You" song that has become a staple in my household.

Rhyme Time:

Nursery Rhymes, "Action" rhymes and Bouncing rhymes are different ways of engaging your child when they are just on your lap hanging out. Rhymes like "Pat-A-Cake" or "Hickory-Dickory-Dock" are great because your baby will follow your hand motions and eventually will do it himself. It's very exciting when that happens!!

As a baby gift someone bought me an "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" hand puppet that had five different farm animals on each finger. I would use it every time I sang that song to my babies and they became my child's "friends". Puppets are a great tool to singing rhymes, and you can make them yourself pretty easily. "Action Rhymes" include the songs you use your hands for, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Open, Shut Them, Mr. Sun etc. Babies love to be tickled and this is a great way to bring on the giggles!

My personal favorites are action rhymes with a bounce - I find they excite babies most of all. Some of my go-to's are 1,2,3 OOPS! (bounce your baby 3 times and then open your legs so they "fall") it is a guaranteed pleaser, The Grand Old Duke Of York and Father and Mother and Uncle John. You can always Google songs and rhymes for ideas if you get stuck, or just turn on any music device and dance baby dance! These are actually great because they teach your children literacy skills while also moving around - win win all around!

"Hey Mommy, Pick A Book!"

This is the phrase I look forward to hearing everyday around 2 pm. That is the time I shut off all the technology devices (TV, IPad and my cell phone) and we have reading/play with your toys time. This lasts until 3:30 when Little Einsteins starts on the Disney channel. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I had a second child in June, and then I became a stay at home mom. The world forgot to tell me that everything I do for myself (including blogging), would have to take a back seat for a while and that's okay.

Being home with my 6 month old and my 28 month old has been quite a challenge for me. As one who loves to be in fancy clothes and high heels all day, that has all been traded in for comfy shirts and skirts due to so much time spent at the playground or at home (especially now with the cold weather upon us)! So followers, it's not that I haven't been reading, I just haven't been telling you about it lately.

I believe the time has come to remix this blog. Reviews are great, but as a children's librarian and as a mother the time has come for me to share with you the importance of Early Literacy. Not just because I took a continuing education class on it last month and not because I need to increase my numbers at "baby storytime", but because school is getting harder for our children, and we need to take back their childhood while preparing them for the real world. I am ready to help each and every one of you have your child knowing the ABCs and their Numbers by 2. (Sorry, my book is not yet published). The best part? You don't have to do much - except spend some time with your baby/toddler! You already do that? AWESOME! You are a hard working full time Mama? Excellent - here are some tips for your caregiver. Your caregiver doesn't speak English? Jackpot! She can sing and dance in whatever language she knows best - your baby will LOVE it!!!

I will try to post these helpful tips as often as possible, but I cannot promise daily due to my crazy work schedule. In any case here is an overview of how to get started:

We are parents in 2013. Our children need to be all kinds of literate. They need to know about reading in addition to technology and the world around them - trees, dirt, snow, food, clothing etc. I know there are many studies out there that say "no screens for anyone under 2 years old". I don't think anyone who wrote that had an 18 month old at home who also needed to cook dinner and get the laundry out of the washing machine and into the dryer. Spoiler alert: My 18 month watched television. However, I was the one in charge of the remote, which is why he spent a lot of nights watching "Wheel Of Fortune" which led to his knowledge of the letters in the alphabet. My advice (and I will definitely discuss this at length in another post) is to allow your child screen time if you need to, both a television and an IPad, within moderation, and make it a bonding time for you and your child. That way, there is still family time and the child learns these items are part of the world, not rewards.

As for those under two years of age, welcome to the world of giggles and bouncing and preparing your child for everything there is that needs to be learned! All babies need to be read and sung to, in any language. Board books are great (I will post my top picks for books at every age and stage). A lot of my personal favorites can be found at www.downtownbookworks.com, and singing to your baby is an absolute must, even if it is just your schedule of the day. Babies love rhyme time, so get that baby on your lap and sing "Open Shut Them". I promise you that if you sing that every day for a week, by day 8 your child will anticipate when to open up their little mouths (and that's a really big deal in the literacy world!)

The time has come to prepare our youngest children to live in a world that is filled with a lot of things that did not exist when we were young. We have to make sure they use their imaginations when they build with their blocks, and still want to dress up in tiaras and cowboy hats. But, there is no harm in having your two year old be able to recognize the letters in his name!

TOYS! AMAZING STORIES BEHIND SOME GREAT INVENTIONS

Book: TOYS! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions

Author: Don Wulffson

Illustrator: Laurie Keller

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Pages: 136

Grade Level: 4^th Grade and up

Rating: 5 Stars

There is so much more to History than exploration of the world and territorial wars that gets thrown aside during the school year. With the new “Common Core Standards” and push for children to read more nonfiction material, this is the best book on the market – the history of some of the most famous toys that every child will recognize. From Mr. Potato Head to Silly Putty, this book reads like a novel more than a textbook, and the illustrations are extremely entertaining.

There isn’t a single kid in the world that has never played with LEGO or has never heard of the Slinky. This book goes through twenty five popular children’s toys and games and discusses how they came to be. Every chapter is short and to the point and never feels like you are reading a history book, and the fun facts about each plaything at the end of every chapter are interesting and children will definitely be repeating to everyone what they have learned! Definitely would recommend for grades 4 and up, or for an adult to read along with a younger child.