Reading Can Be Fun! Have you ever thought of your area Library as a great spot for parent/child fun time? Library Time can open up many possible books for you to explore together. It's a great way to introduce your child to how many different story and picture books there are. You can dive into colorful books designed specifically for early children, and while there, show your child a few books you might share together in the future.
You might go to the early books and say "We can pick 2 books from this shelf today. Let's look and see which ones we want to take home with us." Help your child look at a few pages of any books that catch the eye. Most children's sections have reading areas, where you can sit together cuddly close for a test reading of a page or two.
Then show your child what number of books you can take each time and how you have to check them out at the front desk. Also mention you need to take very good care of the books because they belong to the library, and you will be returning them in 2 weeks (or whatever time frame your library has).
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has made a clear statement about young children spending a lot of time in front of electronic screens: TVs, computers, movies in the car or at home, even hand held devices. "The AAP strongly discourages television viewing for children ages two years old or younger, and encourages interactive play. For older children, the Academy advises no more than one to two hours per day of educational, nonviolent programs, supervised by parents or another responsible adult chosen by the parents."
An alternative to screen time, is real interaction. Screen experiences actually act against a child learning skills for real life. Parents, older siblings and care providers model actions and attitudes that early children mimic, word for word, gesture for gesture. If Dad loves to wear his sun glasses, his little child may love to wear them too. If mom reads a book, then her child will mimic reading even before they understand how to read. Human children learn real-time behavior from human beings.
Let's make a point to turn off the TV and movies that amuse our children as temporary diversions, and make it a regular practice to have reading time together. When you can have an outing, make a regular plan to go to the Library together. Remember to pick out something for yourself too. If you don't have a lot of time to read yourself, remember short stories, and books of inspirational sayings. Poetry comes in all flavors and most poetry books have many short poems, perfect for a quick mental break.
Also many public libraries are near children's play parks, so some physical activity can be planned into the library adventure as well. Remember, Reading Can Be Fun for a lifetime!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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