LaurenWelle.com

Reading a story to your child can be challenging for both you and the child. Your child might be easily distracted, not appear to be involved in the story, and seem bored. You may feel like you are at a loss and do not know what to do to make this an enjoyable and educational experience. In traditional storybook reading, adults read to children and the children listen. Dialogic Reading is a technique designed to help involve the child in reading as well as improve their receptive and expressive language skills. Research indicates that preschoolers begin to use bigger words and expand the amount of exchanges they have with a communicative partner when this technique is used. Two parts are used in Dialogic Reading, PEER and CROWD. PEER involves the following actions:

Prompt or ask a question about a story

Evaluate or listen to what the child has to say

Enhance the child’s response by gently correcting them

Repeat the correct answer

The second technique, CROWD, is used to help during the prompt part of the PEER procedure. This includes:

Complete- ask the child to complete a phrase

Recall-ask the child to recall what is happening in the picture

Open-ended- ask the child what is going on in the picture

Wh prompts- ask wh questions about the picture

Distance- have the child talk about how the events in the story are similar or different that those in their lives.

Read the story several times. As the child becomes more familiar with the book, do less reading and have the child tell the story. You can help them by pointing to pictures and asking them questions. Dialogic Reading is a technique that I have been using in the classroom for a few years now. You will notice, as I did, that reading can be enjoyable for both you and the child. Most children love to participate. It makes them feel like they are involved in the story.  I have also noticed that after a book is read a few times, children begin to learn new vocabulary from the book and they use the words in everyday life. Enjoy!

Some children who have difficulty writing, painting and drawing may have low tone or muscle strength in their upper body. This leads to a lack of control and makes fine motor activities challenging. Using an upright surface often helps these children gain control of their arm and encourages better posture and positioning. If your child is having difficulty writing while at a table, try another technique. Present the child with an easel to complete fine motor activities. If you do not have an easel, tape a piece of paper to the wall. As the difficulty decreases, or when you notice your child developing more control and better posture when using a writing utensil, take it down a notch. A slant board still offers some support for the arm but is closer to the table. The slant board is easy to use and relatively cheap. Boards come in different heights and contains a clip for paper. I am a big advocate of the slant board both in the classroom and for tutoring. I have seen children’s fine motor skills improve as well as their confidence.  Click here to order a slant board.

A parent recently told me about Jammin’ Java, a cafe and music venue located in Vienna, VA. I remembered visiting there years ago to listen to live music. I remember the welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff and good tunes. Come to find out, Jammin’ Java is also “kid friendly” and has live children’s music Monday through Friday for only $5. The headliners include:

Mondays at 10:30- Jammin Mama-instruments and dancing

Tuesdays at 10:30- Mr. Don-sing alongs, motion songs and lots of instruments

Wednesdays at 10:30- Rocknoceros- debut CD won the Washington Area Music Award for best children’s recording in 2006

Thursdays at 10:30- Mr. Knick Knack- original rock ’n roll songs for the entire family

Fridays at 10:30- The Banjo Man- folk and bluegrass children’s songs

Address:

227 Maple Ave, E

Vienna, VA 22180

703.255.1566

Directions:

Travel on 123 towards Tysons Corner. Jammin’ Java will be on the right after Magruters and before Outback Steakhouse.

Last week, my boyfriend approached me with what he said would be the perfect topic for a post on laurenwelle.com. He had read an article about autism in his favorite magazine, CPU, or Computer Power User. I know what you are thinking. Why in the world is there an article about autism in CPU? I opened the magazine and found an article titled “ZAC Gives Autistic Children Web Goodies”. It was finally starting to make sense. I quickly went online and read about this wonderful resource.

www.zacbrowser.com posts links that connect people to information regarding autism including research, facts and therapeutic approaches. Also provided is a forum for readers to share stories, real life experiences, offer advice, and discuss struggles and triumphs surrounding autism.

My favorite part of the site is the link to http://kidzcd.com, a web browser for kids. Children with autism and other related disorders can search the web in a safe and successful environment. Just download CD 1 for children ages 0-6 or CD 2 for children ages 7-12. The browser provides free web radio and TV, games, word processor and photo editor.

Be sure to check it out!

Many of you have asked me what your child is expected to know when entering Kindergarten. I have outlined some objectives in my post “Getting Ready for Kindergarten“. Below are some activities that you can do with your child to ensure success! Remember to pick activities that your child is able to do or is ready to undertake.

Cut and Paste:
In Kindergarten, your children will be completing cut and paste activities. Click here and check out:
ABC order (preschool)
Shapes (preschool)
Numerical order, numbers 1-10

Counting:
Your children will be counting objects up to 10, using one-to-one correspondence. For example, when the child sees the number 3, they can hand you 3 items.
Click here for dinosaur, fish and color counters.

Cutting Activities:
Click here for a house and a kite puzzle. Your child can work on cutting out the shapes and putting the objects together. They might have difficulty cutting out the smaller objects so make sure you help them if they need assistance.

Dot to Dot:
Dot to dot activities are beneficial for your children because they promote arm control and eye hand coordination. Click here for activities that work on connecting numbers 1-10. The spelling dot to dot might be too difficult.

Sewing Cards:
Click here and check out the template for the circle, heart, triangle or square. Put the shape on poster board and punch out the holes. Provide your child with a thick piece of yarn with tape on the end to practice sewing.

Matching:
Click here and go to the animal matching activity.

Sorting:
Click here for the flower activity which has children sort by color and size.