Did you know that your child’s journey toward literacy starts long before she begins to read and write? In fact, by the time your child starts school, she’ll need a solid foundation of several “early literacy skills” – the building blocks for learning to read and write successfully. Find out what you can start doing right now to build these critical skills and prepare your child for reading success.
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If you have a child with autism, you may have been told to wait until he can talk before helping him learn early literacy skills. Or perhaps you heard that flashcards are the best way to prepare your child to learn to read. How do you know if you’re getting good advice? This article clears up a number of common misconceptions about helping young children with autism develop early literacy skills.
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If you Google "baby sign", you’ll find claims that teaching sign language to typically-developing babies helps them to speak sooner, develop larger vocabularies, have stronger cognitive skills, and feel closer to their parents. But does research actually support these claims? If parents are looking for the best ways to support their child’s language development, is baby sign really the answer?
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Did you know that the words your child hears at home will directly impact the size of his vocabulary when he starts school? A new study shows that it’s not just the number of words a child hears at home, but the quality of those words and the way the parent uses them that is extremely important. Find out how you can build your preschooler’s vocabulary now so that he has the best possible start when he goes to school.
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Because early intervention leads to better outcomes for children with autism, early detection is more important than ever. Young children with autism don’t all have the same characteristics, but there are early signs that tell you there is a concern. What are the signs to look out for? And what should you do if you see some of these signs?
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Has your child ever looked you in the eye and told you she didn’t eat the last cookie, even though her face was covered in crumbs? And did you worry that she had just taken her first step down a dangerous path of deceit? It may surprise you to learn that aside from being a normal part of development, lying reflects a very important milestone in your child’s social skills development.
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Proponents of teaching babies to read claim that through repeated exposure to printed words on flashcards and DVDs, infants eventually learn to “read” these words. But are these babies really reading? And if not, is there anything parents can do with their babies that will make a real difference in developing early literacy skills?
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While grocery shopping with children can sometimes be stressful, there are ways of turning this regular outing into an opportunity for interaction, conversation, and fun! Find out how you can make the most of this time with your child to encourage her to use and learn language.
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Toys are a great way to stimulate your child’s imagination and encourage pretend play. But some toys are better than others in their power to kick-start the imagination...
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When your child pretends to be a pilot or a pirate, he’s doing much more than having fun. He’s learning to use his language to create imaginary situations and developing critical thinking skills that he’ll use throughout his life. Follow the easy steps in this article to maximize your child’s learning during pretend play activities.
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