ECRR Concept of the Week (8-30-07)

Sometimes, just hearing someone else read can be very beneficial to a younger child. In their school career, children are going to hear many different teachers, librarians, parent volunteers, other children, etc… read to them. These different voices help shape your child’s inflection, narrative skills, and phonological awareness. For younger children, try a Read Along Kit. These Kits are available at the library and are books that are accompanied by a CD with a recorded story. This might be a fun way for your child to hear the story as you both follow along. And, maybe for an afternoon, you will have a slight reprieve from reading Thomas Goes to Town.-Amy P. Dawson, Youth Services Librarian, Catawba County Library System

ECRR Concept of the Week (8-24-07)

Even babies can start learning reading concepts way before they are ever ready to read. Find a picture book with big pictures of people’s faces or one that describes body parts such as The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss or Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes by Judy Hindley. Point to the pictures and describe them, them point to the same body parts on them and encourage your baby to touch or grab it. This will help your baby search for patterns while listening and looking, a useful skill that will help in school.-Amy Dawson, Youth Services Librarian, Catawba County Library System

ECRR Concept of the Week 8-16-2007

Reading to a toddler can be a challenge. Sometimes, you have a very small window of opportunity before they decide they have had enough. But, there are ways to engage them when reading. Pick pictures out of the book and see if they can find a matching one in their real world. Small children definitely relate more to what is real to them. This little practice will be a fun and educational game that will build vocabulary. -Amy Dawson, Youth Services Librarian, Catawba County Library System.

ECRR Concept of the Week (8-02-07)

Fables are fun, but are not always understood by younger children. For instance, this week in Story Time, we used selections from Aesop's Fables to entertain the children. Unfortunately, these stories can be complicated and the morals are lost on younger children. This is where puppets make wonderful props to bring a story to life. I noticed that the stories in which I used props seemed to capture the interest of children more than those without props. Props are not just a fun thing to use so the kids can play. Props can be educational because they encourage conversation and build narrative skills, an important ECRR concept. And who wouldn't want to hear a story they can "touch" rather than just see?-Amy Dawson, Youth Services Librarian, Catawba County Library System

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