Parent Child Reading

I'm back! Hooray!

I am so glad to be blogging once again.  I have been working on my Master's Thesis for a Master's degree in reading instruction.  I turned in my final copy today.  Hooray!  Unless something unforseen happens, it should be complete.  My thesis is a lot like this blog, but it tells parents what to say step by step for 12 books, with 6 read-alouds per book.  I geared it towards parents that are not familiar with reading to their kids and may not be confident in their reading skills.  This blog is for parents who probably already read with their children, but are looking for research proven read-aloud techniques and/or fun new read-aloud ideas. 

Gingerbread Friends crafts

This book lends itself well to crafts of various types.  The obvious one would be to make gingerbread men, whether they be the actual decorated cookies, or paper ones that are decorated. 

One I am going to try with my kids is making pretend lollipops.  The easiest way to do so would be to get a paper circle, have your child decorate it, and glue it onto a straw.  I am going to try to decorate coffee filters with markers, and then fold it up very small.  Finally, dip the corner in water and turn it upside down.  Let the colors run together, and open to dry.  Finally, glue it onto the straw.  I'll let you know how it works out. 

Please post your craft ideas too!

Gingerbread Friends - favorite parts

 I asked Joshua, age 5, what is one of his favorite parts of the story.  He liked the part where the gingerbread baby falls asleep in a mousehole, and the mice nibble on his marshmallow pom-pom. 

I enjoy looking at all of the different baked goods in the bakery. 

Megan was absolutely fascinated with the page that unfolds to a huge size.  The gingerbread baby finds his friends on that page.

 

What is something that either you or your child really enjoyed about the story?

Counting with Gingerbread Friends

Counting opportunities abound in Gingerbread Friends.  My daughter Megan, age 3, loves to count things.  Here's a list of things to count on some of the pages:

• jellybeans

• marbles

• peppermint candies

• lollipops

• swans

• flowers

• any bakery items from the bakery

• mice

• cupcakes

• all of the gingerbread friends!

Gingerbread Friends

I have long been a fan of Jan Brett's books.  I absolutely love her detailed illustrations. Many of her books have side panels that tell more of the story or tell a side story. 

My son received the book Gingerbread Friends for Christmas.  If you enjoyed the Gingerbread Baby, you will like this new story about the gingerbread baby.  The gingerbread baby is still living in the house that Mattie made for him.  But, he gets lonely when Mattie is not home.  So, one day he goes out to look for a friend.  All of the friends he tries to make are cookies and candies, so they do not answer him.  Meanwhile, on the side panels, you can see Mattie making some gingerbread people.  When the gingerbread baby gets home, he is delighted to find a room full of gingerbread people, all having fun and ready to be his friend. 

Joshua was so excited to get another book about the gingerbread baby.  He especially liked the large, detailed last page.  It is lots of fun to take time and look carefully at all of the elaborate details in the last page in particular. 

Another reading of The Small One

Today, I read The Small One to my three year old daughter.  I totally changed my approach in reading it to her vs. how I read it to my 5 year old.  First we looked at the cover.  I pointed to the donkey and asked her,"What animal do you think this is?"  She thought about it for a few seconds, and then said, "An Eeyore".  I thought that was so cute!  It is obvious she knows her Winnie the Pooh characters!  So I explained that it is a donkey, and Eeyore is also a donkey.  Then, since she has a shorter attention span, I summarized some of the story to keep it moving along.  For instance, when we got to the part about the tanner, I didn't explain what a tanner was, or even read that part.  I just told her that he was a mean guy who wasn't going to take care of Small One.  At one point in the story, she recognized and read the word "the".  That got her into her pretend reading mode.  So, I let her "read" and tell the story for a while.  Then, when she started repeating her own story, I said, "Let's see what else these words say."  Then, I went on reading the story.  I explained to her who Mary and her husband were. 

I have found that in most children's picture books, they can be adapted to fit the age of your child by varying your approach.  Another way I could read this book if I were reading it to a one year old, for instance, would be to simply look at and talk about things I see in the pictures. 

The Small One

I apologize for the lack of postings lately.  I have had some sudden health problems that sort of sidetracked my blog a bit.  I will do my best to get back to my posting schedule, although it may be a bit thin for the next week or so yet. 

Last night I read a very touching, warm Christmas book to Joshua, age 5.  It is The Small One  by Alex Walsh. It is a wonderful story about a boy who lived near Nazareth at the time Jesus was born.  He had a donkey he called Small One.  The donkey was old and weak and could not carry loads on his back anymore.  So, the boy was told he had to bring him to town and sell him.  He loved his donkey and worked hard at finding it a good home. First a tanner was ready to buy Small One, but of course the boy said no.  Eventually, Joseph buys the donkey from him to carry Mary to Bethelehem. The boy is happy, knowing that his donkey will be loved.

My son and I read this story before bed, cuddled together on the couch.  When we got to the part where it said the boy met a man who wanted to carry his wife Mary on it, I asked Joshua who the man was.  He didn't know at first, and then, after a few more clues about the Christmas story, he said, "Joseph!"  Joshua was very relieved the donkey was going to be cared for.  He had all sorts of questions about tanners.  First I had to explain to him what that meant, and then his main concern was if there are "good" tanners that use all of the animal, not just it's hide.  I had to tell him I did not know for sure.  You see, he is very into woolly mammoths, and knows that the people who used to hunt them used everything when they killed a mammoth.

It's important to always stop and answer any questions that your child might have as you read. As an adult, I sometimes feel like it is interrupting the story, but it is more of an interruption to your child if they don't understand something and spends the rest of the story wondering rather than listening to the story being read. 

What I like best about this story is that it teaches children compassion. 

Jan Brett's Night Before Christmas

Jan Brett's books are always full of detailed illustrations that totally captivate the reader and draws them into the story.  Her version of The Night Before Christmas is a great version to read with your child.  You are in for a treat! 

Here's a few ways to share an especially beautiful, illustrated book like Jan Brett's Night Before Christmas:

• Spend one of your read aloud sessions just looking at the pictures.  Talk about the things going on in the picture.  Pick out a detail from the illustration and name the object and talk about what it is used for.
• Get a flashlight and read the book in the dark.  This draws extra attention to the pictures in the story.  In particular, The Night Before Christmas is a good one to use for this technique, since the story takes place at night.  It also makes the story more magical.
• Once you and your child are familiar with the story, tell the story using the pictures, not the words.  If your child is old enough, have her tell you the story.

Reading The Night Before Christmas to a 3 year old

A version of The Night Before Christmas that I especially enjoy is a version illustrated by Christian Birmingham(1995, Running Press).   It has warm, inviting pictures and large print, which is great for helping your child focus on the words.  Run your hands under the print sometimes as you read, especially after your child is very familiar with the story.  

It is important to follow the lead of your child when reading aloud.  For instance, today we talked about what Santa does the night before Christmas.  We talked about what Santa does and also why (he is honoring Jesus' birth.) Megan then wanted to talk about what Santa might bring.  She wanted a candy cane.  Then, a couple of pages into the story she saw a cat in the illustration.  Megan is fascinated with cats lately.  So, that began a whole discussion of the Christmas gift SHE wants to give our cat for Christmas.  On the page that showed the reindeer, Megan wanted to count how many there were, so we stopped and counted them. Then, I pointed out their names.  I told her the names began with capital, or big letters, because names are important and should begin with capital letters.  On the page that reads, "His eyes how they twinkled!  His dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!", I could tell Megan was bored.  She laid on my shoulder and was looking away. So, I asked her if we should finish the book later, and she said yes.  It will be much more fun for both of us to finish when she is interested again. 

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas is a classic Christmas story.  It has a catchy rhythm and rhyme. But, more importantly, it captures the magic of Christmas.  It is fun to imagine what happens when Santa comes to visit on Christmas Eve. 

Every child who celebrates Christmas should have this story read to them at least once.  While any version tells the story, I have found some versions to be especially beautifully illustrated. 

I will be talking about a few of my favorite versions.  The best way to read any of them would be to find a cozy chair, snuggle your child in your lap, and read the story with as much magical expression as you can. 

What version of The Night Before Christmas is your favorite to read to your child?  What makes it special?