Each month, we offer a kit packed with tips and suggestions around our early literacy calendar. Here's an example of some of the activities that October's Early Lit Kit has for you and your little ones:
Read: When reading the story ¡Lluvia! / Rain!
together, ask "what" questions:
"What do you notice in this picture?”
“What do you think might happen next?”
“What do you notice about the background?”
“What objects are in each house?”
Play: Pretend to be a frog just like the child in the book. Make up stories about an imaginary frog or make a puppet out of a sock. For young children, talk about the colors and textures of your pretend frog and use it to play peekaboo.
Talk: Talk about the character’s feelings in ¡Lluvia!/Rain! At the beginning of the book, the old man is always grumpy, and the child is always happy. How do feelings change? How do our actions affect how others feel? When someone is sad, what might you do to cheer them up? When you’re in a bad mood, what sorts of things make you feel better?
Sing:
Five little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs
YUM! YUM!
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were four speckled frogs.
Repeat with four, three, two, one, and none
Write: Cut out the cards in the author’s reading guide for ¡Lluvia!/Rain! and play memory or opposites. Using scissors when we're ready is a great way to strengthen the muscles in our hands, which we need to exercise to be ready to write. For younger children, picking up, shuffling, and playing with the cards can also help build those muscles in a more developmentally appropriate way.
Find this month's featured books at HDL:
