Archive for the ‘pre reading skills’ Category

Diary of an Emerging Reader: Fun & Games

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

One of the things I like best about the Bob Books is how they progress sequentially, introducing different concepts in handy, easy-to-hold books. Lately I’ve been using the My First Bob Books: Pre-Reading Skills with Wilson, our emerging reader. Because he knows his shapes pretty well, we’re now breezing through the first three books (which cover learning simple shapes, finding hidden shapes and matching shapes) and are spending more time on the other three groups (sorting, patterns and sequencing). We’re having fun with each book beyond the text, asking questions, finding hidden objects and playing games.
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My First Bob Books are not only intended for you to read to your child (whereas the foundation sets are intended for your child to read to you) but they are full of fun learning games that you can play with your emerging reader. For example, in “Fix It” (book 5) kids are asked to identify certain shapes that will enable the broken toys to get fixed. The illustrations contain additional shapes (triangles on the curtain, a smiley face on the flag), which I asked Wilson to identify and count. In “Get Ready” (book 10) the illustrations are spaced on the page as to give kids clues to what happens next. I turned it into a game by asking Wilson which toys he would play with first, second and last. Wilson loves blocks so we had a lot of fun with “Block Town” (book 7), which introduces simple patterns. I had him repeat all of the shapes in the pattern (“square, rectangle, rectangle, square”) and then we got down on the floor and created our own pattern – using the Bob Books!

My emerging reader has an extremely short attention span so our reading sessions progress at their own pace. Once he gets wiggly or starts throwing books on the floor, it’s time to move onto something else. Still, I can definitely tell that each time we pick up the books, he’s putting into action the concepts that we learned in previous reading sessions. Which is pretty exciting.
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Do you have a reading success story or guest blog you’d like to share? Let us know.

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Diary of an Emerging Reader: Developing Pre-Reading Skills (One Step at a Time)

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Before reading begins, a child must first understand and master key pre-reading skills. Skills like learning the alphabet, shape recognition, matching, sorting, learning patterns and sequencing.
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Wilson, age 3, our reader-in-training, is doing pretty well with alphabet recognition (give or take 3 or 4… or 8 letters, depending on when I ask him) so I thought I’d spend some time this week focusing on specific pre-reading skills. The My First Bob Books sets are wonderful in that they build upon simple concepts (i.e. shape identification) and then progress to more advanced skills (such as matching and sorting and sequencing.) The sizing and color-coding of the books is really helpful too, especially when you’re dealing with a short attention span and a child who likes to dump all of his books out on the floor.

We started with the red color-coded books, the first books in the My First Bob Books: Pre Reading Skills set that focus on shape recognition and matching. We breezed through those; I could tell that Wilson really understands his shapes. But then he grabbed one of the yellow books, the “Guessing Machine,” which helps kids understand the concept of sequencing. It’s book number 11 out of 12 in the set so I knew that by following Bob Books’ numbered progression, this would be a relatively advanced concept. And it was. Sequencing – the ability to predict or guess what happens next in a story – was a completely foreign concept for him. So now I know what he doesn’t know. This was a really important realization for me as a parent. And, truth be told, I’m not sure I really understood what the term sequencing meant exactly –and why it was important — until I started going through the My First Bob Books with Wilson. Now I get it. I can talk about sequencing concepts in our every day conversations (“What happens next?” You put on your shoes and then we’ll walk to the park…”) to help him grasp the step-by-step pre -reading and literacy skills that build a good foundation for reading. mf-bob-books-1

Do you have any pre-reading skill development tips you’d like to share? Let us know.

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Video Blog: Five Tips for Teaching Your Child to Read

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Taking the first steps into reading with your child should be fun for both of you. Sometimes how to make that happen is a bit of a mystery! These short videos will give you simple, clear suggestions of several early reading techniques to use with your child.

Identifying shapes and letters
Learning to identify and name shapes is an important pre-reading skill. Pay attention to how Paul’s dad helps him find the circle and identify the triangle. First he asks a question, then he waits for Paul. This gives Paul a chance to figure it out for himself, and also communicates to Paul that his answer is important. It is essential that children are given time to try before you step in.

Talking about the sounds that letters make
When reading with your child, be respectful and accurate. If the child does not use the correct letter or word, do not dwell on it, but calmly give him accurate information. Do not let silliness sidetrack you into accepting a wrong answer. This will not help with learning. Praise immediately when he answers correctly.

Talking about the story
To develop a love of reading, children need to fall in love with the story. Take time to talk about the characters, actions and emotions in a book. Encourage your child to engage with the illustrations as well as the writing. Ask your child what is happening in the story. The entire early reading experience, including your attention, a fun story, and early reading success, can build a love a books that will last a lifetime.

Giving praise
Giving praise instructs and encourages your child to read accurately. It’s important to notice achievements large and small, when a child is learning to read. Your calm consistency and gentle approval make your child’s first steps into reading a successful and happy experience.

And finally…
Enjoy yourselves!
With a few simple techniques, a warm couch, some snuggly quiet time, and the right book, learning to read can be fun and satisfying for you and your child, every step of the way.

Do you have any reading tips or video blogs you’d like to share? Let us know.

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Diary of an Emerging Reader: Delegate!

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

One of the greatest things about having an older child who is already reading… is that she can now be tasked with helping her younger brother to learn to read! It’s a great way for both of them to advance their skills and have fun. Here is a video clip from last night’s reading session:

Storytime with Big Sister

Storytime with Big Sister

Diary of an Emerging Reader on YouTube

Obviously every child is different and will learn at his or her own pace. As you can see, one of mine has an extremely short attention span while the other one gravitates toward bossiness. Still, this is something you, too can try at home. Here are a few tips:

  1. Choose a set time. Bedtime works best for us, somewhere between baths and teeth brushing but before meltdowns.
  2. Allow the younger child to choose the reading material.
  3. Make sure the older child is not challenged too much by the text. Board books and of course Bob Books are a good bet. Picture books can be wonderful too as long as they aren’t too long or the text too advanced. We’ve also had success with books with no text (i.e. Good Dog Carl) as a way to encourage talking about the illustrations.
  4. Keep it short. Limit to a few titles or until attention spans wear out, whichever comes first.
  5. Offer plenty of praise to both children.
  6. Let them have fun!

Have any ideas or learning to read tips you’d like to share? Let us know!

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