Search Results for: for the love of reading

For the Love of Reading

May 15, 2018 by Melanie

Some interesting facts…

Did you know that the greatest amount of brain growth occurs between birth and age five? In fact, by age 3, roughly 85% of the brain’s core structure is formed. In contrast, the majority of our investments are made in the traditional education years of K-12, which begin at age five. (“Lifetime Effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through age 40.” Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 2005).

Here’s another interesting fact: Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory (Bardige, B. Talk to Me, Baby!(2009), Paul H Brookes Pub Co).

What are you waiting for?

Creating Together is here to help – each Monday Creating Together hosts “Literacy Mondays” – where reading is a community event! Designed for one-on-one or small group storytelling, our Literacy Mondays feature developmentally appropriate books and CDs for children to enjoy – and they also have the choice of listening to a story with their headphones all on their own!

Some reading tips for the road

If you’re looking for reading tips, here are some great ones provided by Reading Rockets:

Don’t expect your toddler to sit still for a book

Toddlers need to move, so don’t worry if they act out stories or just skip, romp, or tumble as you read to them. They may be moving, but they are listening.

Recite rhymes, sing songs, and make mistakes!

Pause to let your toddler finish a phrase or chant a refrain. Once your toddler is familiar with the rhyme or pattern, make mistakes on purpose and get caught.

Choose engaging books

Books featuring animals or machines invite movement and making sounds. Books with flaps or different textures to touch keep hands busy. Books with detailed illustrations or recurring items hidden in the pictures are great for exploring and discussing.

Keep reading short, simple, and often

Toddlers frequently have shorter attention spans than babies. Look for text that is short and simple. Read a little bit, several times a day.

Encourage play that involves naming, describing, and communicating

Set up a zoo with all the stuffed animals. Stage a race with the toy cars. Put your toddler in charge and ask lots of questions.

Every day is an adventure when you’re a toddler

Choose books about everyday experiences and feelings. Your child will identify with the characters as they dress, eat, visit, nap, and play.

Ask questions

Take time to listen to your toddler’s answers. Toddlers have strong opinions and interesting ideas about the world. Encourage your toddler to tell you what he or she thinks. You’ll build language skills and learn what makes your toddler tick at the same time.

Play to their favorites

Read favorite stories again and again. Seek out books about things your toddler especially likes — trains, animals, the moon. These books may extend a toddler’s attention span and build enthusiasm for reading.

Not having fun?

Try a different story or a different time during the day. Reading with a very young child is primarily about building positive experiences with books, not finishing every book you start.

Reading tip sheets in other languages:

Here are some tip sheets for parents of children in preschool to grade 3 in a number of different languages:

Spanish (471K PDF)*
Arabic (964K PDF)*
Traditional Chinese (959K PDF)*
Haitian Creole (950K PDF)*
Hmong (943K PDF)*
Korean (446K PDF)*
Navajo (578K PDF)*
Russian (646K PDF)*
Tagalog (943K PDF)*
Vietnamese (945K PDF)*

See you Monday!

Celebrating Reading Month with Gratitude

March 3, 2021 by Melanie

Literacy is one of Creating Together’s big focus points. We understand how early exposure to books and stories has lasting impacts for our communities.

Benefits of Reading

Did you know that early literacy begins before a child can read? According to research by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, children who are successful readers have usually engaged in many early language and literacy activities before starting school. In fact, hearing and engaging with books read aloud to them is one of the most important activities for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children.

Until the last 30 years, children were seen as non-readers until they entered school. Now, children’s attempts to read and write before they reach school age are seen as important steps in developing reading and writing abilities. For more information about the benefits of early reading and some tips to engage young readers, check out For the Love of Reading.

Celebrating National Reading Month with Gratitude

March is National Reading Month, a month to celebrate reading, for all ages! And during this month, we would like to join us in an expression of gratitude to a very special program and a very special person, who have been instrumental in ensuring our families have access to reading material.

The Children’s Book Bank was founded by a small group of dedicated individuals who saw the importance of ensuring that all children have access to books. Since 2008, the Book Bank has grown and reached more families as a result of the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations who have donated funds, books and their time. Creating Together families have benefitted greatly from these donations of books, and would like to give a shout out to The Children’s Book Bank and their supporters for their generosity and commitment to their mission. For more information about their programs, or how to donate, read more HERE.

The Outreach Coordinator of the Children’s Book Bank also deserves special thanks. Dave Page has been our main contact at the Children’s Book Bank, and has attended Creating Together to read stories to the children, while also ensuring Creating Together receives an abundance of books to give to our families. When our families come to the Centre to pick up their craft supplies and food donations, they are also able to pick up some free books for their children thanks to Dave and the Children’s Book Bank. Dave has been working with children’s books and family literacy programs in Toronto for 25 years, and his passion for early literacy is contagious. Please join us in thanking Dave for his work, his passion, and his commitment to young readers.

From our community to yours,

thank you Dave and

the Children’s Book Bank

for all you do!

Teaching Children to Love Themselves

March 1, 2021 by Melanie

Self-esteem and confidence is important to nurture in children. It instills a growth mindset, resilience, and the ability to both act responsibly and take accountability for one’s actions. On the other hand, a poor self-esteem can lead to feelings of frustration and sadness, a loss of interest in learning, and becoming withdrawn / non-committal.

So how do we cultivate Self-Love in our children? Well, according to the Child Development Center in Illinois, here are five simple yet important steps that parents and teachers alike can take to build self-esteem:

Listen to and acknowledge your child’s thoughts and feelings.
Create situations that help your child experience success, not failure. Set clear and appropriate expectations, offer reasonable amounts of help, provide adequate incentives and remove obstacles.
Give your child a feeling of reasonable control over their life.
Reinforce that your child is lovable and capable.
Show your child that you have a positive view of yourself.

(https://www.chhs.niu.edu/child-center/resources/articles/self-esteem.shtml)

Self-Love Programming This Week at Creating Together

This week Creating Together is focusing it’s programming on Self-Love, to offer some stories, songs and tools to move the children of our community in the right direction. Apart from our regular science, craft and movement activities, join us for some of these experiences, designed especially for our theme!

Circle Time: Join us Monday and Wednesday at 10am on our Zoom channel for live songs and rhymes about self-love, with a special focus on infant circle time on Friday at noon (also on Zoom).

Storytime: Read along with us through our Facebook page at noon on Monday, Wednesday or Friday for stories of self-love. For example, this Monday Leah shared “I Am Perfectly Designed” by Jason Brown and his Father Karamo Brown (author reading below as well), “One Love” by Cedella Marley (Bob Marley’s daughter!).

Glitterbug Guest Circle: This Wednesday (and the first Wednesday of every month, join us for a live virtual circle time with special guest Jerry from Glitterbug at 10:00 am on Zoom: zoom.us/j/7391226799.

Parent Drop-In Discussion: On Monday and Friday at 2:30, join us on Zoom for a live drop-in parent discussion.

Enjoy the week families, join us if you can, and please reach out to our staff if we can help you with any resources – We are here to help!

Resources:

The Benefits of Reading to Your Child

March 19, 2019 by Melanie

Did you know that the Literacy Area at Creating Together holds incredible opportunities for communication, language, literacy, and social skills? Reading aloud here not only improves expressive language and vocabulary, but also social skills such as imitation, turn taking, social interest, and the ability to maintain connection across space.

On March 11 & 15, Creating Together hosted “Benefits of Literacy” information sessions, to share with parents and caregivers why reading to your child is such an important part of childhood development. Read below to learn what reading aloud to your child for 15 minutes per day will bring, while preparing them for success in school.

10 Great Reasons to Read to Your Child (A Message From the Toronto Early Literacy Specialists)

Reading stimulates your child’s imagination.
Children learn lots of new words through reading.
Reading builds a child’s ability to concentrate.
Children learn about the world through books.
Reading builds a child’s listening skills.
children gain awareness of letters and words.
Children learn to appreciate the richness of language.
Reading together brings you and your child closer.
Children thrive on the positive attention at story time.
you will give your child a life long love of books by reading aloud regularly.

Join us each Monday for Literacy Mondays!

Every Monday at 9:30 and 1:30, Creating Together hosts “Literacy Mondays“, and we’d love to see you there. Come read and sing along with parents/caregivers and a staff member. This program is designed for one-on-one or small group storytelling, featuring developmentally appropriate books and CDs. Children also have a choice to listen to a story with headphones on their own.

Spring into Reading: Literacy at Creating Together

March 21, 2017 by Melanie

Spring has arrived!

The days will now get longer, the ground will slowly thaw, and pretty soon the leaves and flowers will show themselves. As you notice these beautiful elements of the season, consider coming in to enjoy our staff picks for Spring reads, or the amazing assortment of books shared in our Literacy Program on Monday mornings.

Did you know that a child’s knowledge of songs and rhymes at age 3 is predictor of his/her ability to read by age 6? Why not come and take advantage of the opportunities and support available to you at Creating Together?

Teach your child about the seasons and give them a love for literacy through reading!

Here’s a selection of books used for the Literacy Program on Mondays, 9:30-10:30am

Every Monday morning from 9:30-10:30, come in and enjoy “Literacy Mondays”, which bring together storytelling, music and song to support children in their love of reading. These interactive story times use age-appropriate, over-sized books, to make the experience of reading more engaging.

When speaking with Neha at Creating Together about tips for engaging children in the process, she emphasized the importance of giving children a choice in which book they’d like to read, choosing books that are age appropriate, and reading in ways that are also age appropriate. Take a look at this great tip sheet: Milestones of Early Literacy Development.

Tip: Have children choose their book for reading time!

Neha also encourages families to speak in their mother tongue at home, reminding us that bilingualism helps children with their sense of identity, self-confidence, and ability to think about their ideas and communicate in both languages.

For further resources and tip sheets for supporting your child’s language and literacy development, take a look at this great resource page compile by the Macaulay Child Development Centre: Early Literacy for Parents

Do remember to come by with any questions or support needs you have to Tanya or Neha – they’d love to connect and help you spring into reading with your child!