Five Book-free Activities You Already Do That Are Helping Your Children Learn

Educating your children takes more than sitting in a circle and reading. Our everyday activities are extremely important too. I bet you do (or did) all of these things for your children: 

1. Listening to your children talk about their day and telling them about your day. They are learning sequencing.

2. Playing with your children and following their lead. You are building their confidence. It is likely to transfer over to their school subjects as well (Pincus, 2012). 

3. Checking the weather and talking about what to wear. You are helping them apply information to their everyday life, make predictions, and draw conclusions. 

4. Letting them roll down a hill or spin in circles. You are allowing them to build their vestibular system. The vestibular system controls our posture, balance, alertness, concentration, and stillness. It sounds strange, but without this type of movement, kids can't sit still (Connell & McCarthy, 2014). 

5. Listening to music together and singing (no matter what it sounds like). You are naturally developing your children's listening skills (2014). 

Did you get a 5/5?



Connell, G., & McCarthy, C. (2014). A moving child is a learning child: how the body teaches the brain to think (birth to age 7). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Pincus, Donna B. Growing up Brave: Expert Strategies for Helping Your Child Overcome Fear, Stress, and Anxiety. Little, Brown and Co., 2012.

One Home, One Book?

I just participated in a Screen-Free Week challenge from an awesome Usborne rep. A couple of nights a week at snack time my daughters pick a few Sesame Street songs on YouTube to watch. Last week we read books every night instead. Because of this my one-year-old daughter was able to listen to the paper page books that I read with my three-year-old daughters throughout the day. She laughed. She followed along. We showed her things in the book together. She is excluded from many activities during the day because of her love of eating small things (and ripping paper). This was one way to make her feel connected and show her sisters that she can be included.

Can this be duplicated for a first and fifth grade set of siblings? Yes, it can.  Right now, many schools are proving that they can with the One School, One Book from ReadtoThem.org, and this can be implemented at home.

I challenge you to try reading the same book to all of your kids. It gives them something else to talk about and another way to connect with each other and to you. It gives them more ideas to use when they play and helps them all feel included. Also, it builds their vocabulary and literacy skills.

I know. It's spring sports time. The musical is in full swing. There is a way to fit it in. It can be brief. Try 5-15 minutes at snack time, right after school, bedtime, an audio book in the car, before they are allowed to watch TV, before baseball practice, after soccer practice, Tuesdays and Thursdays, etc. If you want to make it happen, you can.

It's worth it. My three-year-olds comment and incorporate the books into their play. They make connections through the day. They like to pretend they are the bunnies from A Tale of Peter Rabbit. They pretend that some of their toys are the tuna fish from Swimmy. We make references and connections to the books often. They have their own jokes based on the books. They use words that we normally only read and do not use in everyday conversation. My husband has heard most of the stories too, so he can join in with the conversation. My one-year-old recognizes the stories and reaches for her favorites. When they are able to listen to chapter books, we will incorporate those too.

It's going to look different based on the ages, but I challenge you to give it a try. Kids can listen to books that are beyond their reading level. You could read the same book to your first grader as your seventh grader. They'll have a bond they normally wouldn't have without it.

Here are some chapter book ideas from Read to Them.org.

Need help picking a book? Email me, PM me on FB, or drop a comment below.

Making Video Streaming/TV Your Literacy Friend

While there is a strong correlation between underachieving in school and watching too much television, there are ways to make videos and TV more literacy friendly for your kids (Trealease, Ten Facts Parents Should Know About Reading 5). Note: Books, social interaction, chores, and play are still better than TV.

1. Turn on closed captioning. Your children will see the subtitles and make connections between the spoken and written words (6) .
2. Watch the show together. Make it a social time. Discussion of any topic, story, or lesson leads to a deeper understanding. Examples of questions to lead a discussion if you aren't sure what to say:  Why do you think ______ did that? What did you think of that episode? I don't know if what ______ did was the best thing to do, what do you think?
3. Limit their video time. This may mean a time period. You could also limit it by only allowing them to watch in one room of the house. For example, they can only watch in the living room.

For the facts about TV and children's school success, check out Jim Trelease's pamphlet.



Works Cited
Trelease, Jim. Ten Facts Parents Should Know About Reading. Ten Facts Parents Should Know About Reading, 2009.

Super Bowl: Defend Your Team

Who's going to win the Super Bowl: Eagles or Patriots? Even if you know who your child is rooting for (even if it is the same team you are), make them defend their choice today. Ask them, why are you cheering for the Eagles? Don't let them say they are better. Make them provide specific examples. They could talk about the players, stats, or any other conditions that they feel make the team more likely to win. You could give them a few examples if they don't know how to respond. "I think the _____ will win because..."  This could turn into a great debate or two minute conversation. Both are great. Explaining why and defending their decisions are necessary life (and comprehension) skills, so why not start with the Super Bowl?

Which Book Character Are You?

I love online quizzes that tell you which character you are the most like. There is something fun about  making choices and being compared. I recently checked out A Beatrix Potter Treasury from the library. We've read The Tale of Peter Rabbit about 15 times over the past two weeks. My girls love mean old Mr. McGregor and naughty Peter Rabbit. They even worry about Peter through the story (Will Mrs. McGregor cook him in a pie?).

Today after we read the book I simply asked them if they were in the story who would they be. They looked at me funny. I never asked them a question like that before. I then told them that I would be the bunny, Cotton-tail. She followed the rules and picked blackberries like a good little bunny. My husband jumped in saying he would be Mr. McGregor. He doesn't like it when groundhogs come into his garden and chases them out (note: my husband does not make groundhog pie haha). G then decided she'd be Mopsy or Flopsy because she would go pick blackberries like mama said to. H said she'd be Peter Rabbit and go into the garden. They now love the story even more.

Next time you are caught up in a book together or you know your child is reading a book in school, talk about what character they most identify with. If they aren't sure, talk about yourself first. Your older kids will like this too. It will help them have a deeper understanding of the book, have empathy, and enjoy it more.  Plus, it'll give you a window inside their mind. It's better than an online quiz.

Screenshot taken from Amazon