Early Literacy Fun!

Here are five simple, seasonal activities to do with your child to help him get ready to read.

1. Talk about holiday or seasonal traditions in your family.  What is your child's favorite tradition and why? 
2. Sing holiday songs together.
3. Read a holiday or winter book with your child.  Then, ask him to tell you what happens in the book.
4. Help your child write a card or letter, or draw a picture, for a family member or friend.  
5. Play a fun memory game together!  Select five seasonal objects (tree ornament, mitten, cookie cutter, etc.) and place them on the floor.  Have your child close his eyes while you remove one of the objects and hide it behind your back.  Then, ask him to open his eyes and guess which one is missing.  Take turns hiding and guessing. 

  

Holiday and Winter Reads Booklist

The week of Christmas is here!  Hanukkah has begun.  Many families are beginning their festivities for all kinds of holiday traditions!  Ready Set Read compiled a list of holiday and winter reads that we hope you share with your little ones. 

If  you enjoy the books we list throughout our Ready Set Read blog for your children, you can get even more reading suggestions when you sign up for Bookletters!  Visit the Bookletters page on the Gail Borden Public Library website to sign up for a specific interest. You'll see selections available for Pre Readers, Early Readers, Experience Readers, Children's Chapter Books, Children's Picture Books, and many more!

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
Mr. Willowby's new Christmas tree is so tall that he must chop off the top of it, but he's not the only one with the same idea. 
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The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
Retells the story of Goldilocks, set in an Inuit village and featuring a family of polar bears.
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The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola
At the annual celebration of Las Posadas in old Santa Fe, the husband and wife slated to play Mary and Joseph are delayed by car trouble, but a mysterious couple appear who seem perfect for the part. 
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Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
Stick Man ends up far away from his family tree when he is fetched by a dog, thrown by a child, used as a snowman's arm, and even put on a fire, but finally Santa Claus steps in to make sure that Stick Man and his family have a joyous Christmas.
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You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest
When Mrs. Bear and little Sam deliver the cakes they have made for their friends in the neighborhood, Sam carries the cakes all by himself, through the snow and up to the front doors. 
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Noel by Tony Johnston
On Christmas Eve, the melodic sounds of a church bell ring, signaling to creatures great and small that it's time to gather in celebration. 
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The Hanukkah Mice by Steven Kroll
A family of mice enjoys the doll house and furnishings that Rachel receives as gifts on the eight nights of Hanukkah.
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Santa's Little Helper by Angela McAllister
During a game of hide-and-seek Snowball, an arctic hare, hides in Santa's sleigh, where Santa Claus finds him and requests his help to deliver presents. 
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The Christmas Box by Eve Merriam
Eager to see all the presents, the family comes downstairs on Christmas morning to find just one long thin box under the tree. 
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The Gingerbread Man illustrated by Bonnie and Bill Rutherford
A freshly baked gingerbread man escapes when he is taken out of the oven and eludes his pursuers until he meets a clever fox. 
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Story Mix for Three to Six: Trains and Games

It's our last week of Story Mix until the new year, and we want to share some fun holiday themed, as well as more toy themed, stories and rhymes.  Remember over the winter break you and your child can engage in many activities to help bring early literacy skills home.

• Read together!  Shared reading is valuable because your child has your full attention, and you are enjoying the experience together. 
• Sing and Rhyme together! Stories and songs in rhyme encourage new vocabulary, listening and oral language skills. 
• Talk and Play together! Talk and ask questions about what you and your child do during the day such as baking cookies or shopping for presents. 
• Write or Draw a picture together! Help your child draw a picture and write captions of your favorite snow activity to do together, such as making a snowman.  This helps connect the spoken words to the ideas, and creates a visual representation of your child's imagination to share.

Baby Mice Counting Rhyme
Where are the baby mice?
“Squeak, squeak, squeak”
I cannot see them
Peek, peek, peek
Here they come
Out of their hole in the wall
1,2,3,4,5 – that’s all!

This Little Train Christmas Rhyme
This little train – on the tree
Santa put it there for me
With a chug-chug, choo-choo
Rummy-tummy-tum
Christmas Day is so much fun.
Drum – boom-boom, rat-a-tat…
Doll – Ma-ma, Ma-ma…

We read these books at Story Mix this week:

Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
Two little trains, one streamlined, the other old-fashioned, puff, puff, puff, and chug, chug, chug, on their way West. 
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Ten Play Hide-and-Seek by Penny Dale
A little boy and nine stuffed animals play hide and seek before going to bed.
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What Am I? Christmas by Anne Margaret Lewis
Lift the flap to find a Christmas surprise on every page of this book. 
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Terrific Twos: The Color RED

We are featuring the color RED this week at Terrific Twos!  The color red is often associated with the Christmas holiday and you'll notice some of the books we read are Christmas themed to help you celebrate.  The rhymes and stories below help your child with a variety of literacy skills. Rhyming helps children understand word construction and meaning based on sound. Children will begin to think symbolically and develop oral language skills. The fun actions you can perform in each song such as the movements of a little red bird flying, or a snowman who is big, round and has a lovely scarf of red, make these activities memorable and entertaining. 

Little Red Bird Rhyme
Little red bird, fly around
Up to the sky and down to the ground.
Little red bird, flap your wings
And let me hear you sweetly sing.
Little red bird, go to your nest
Now it’s time to take a rest.

Little red bird, fly around
Up to the sky and down to the ground.
Little red bird, flap your wings
And let me hear you sweetly sing.
Little red bird, go to your nest
Now it’s time to take a rest.

I Made a Little Snowman Rhyme (thanks to our friends at King County Library System)
I made a little snowman,
I made him big and round.
I made him from a snowball,
I rolled upon the ground.
He has two eyes, a nose, a mouth,
A lovely scarf of red.
He even has some buttons,
And a hat upon his head.

Check out these books we read at this week's Terrific Twos: 

Who Said Red? by Mary Serfozo
A little girl and her brother introduce red, green, blue, yellow, and other colors as they wander about their farm.
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We Love Christmas by Marilyn Janovitz
Join two lovable cats as they celebrate Christmas. 
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Mouse's First Christmas by Lauren Thompson
While exploring the house on Christmas Eve, a little mouse discovers the tree, a candy cane, a stocking, a jingle bell, and Santa Claus. 
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