Working together as teachers and guardians of the children, there are so many ways to help the children learn in and outside the classroom. By having open communication and dialogue between teacher and guardian, a list of different activities can be created to displayed literacy encounters for the children. The list can be specific to activities done at home that are outside of the classroom setting.
- Going on a Scavenger Hunt with a checklist- Have the child find the different items then write/draw what he/she saw.
- "I Spy" Letter words- Whether in the car, grocery store or at home playing I spy with the child come help them recognize their letters.
- Simply reading books together
- The child could help the parent cook- Helping read the recipe, measuring out the different ingredients....
- Play "What's Missing?"- Label different objects around the home with the appropriate name, such as door for door. Over the next couple of days take a letter away and see if the child notices, can still tell what the object is and identify which letter is missing.
- When driving have children's books on tape to listen to.
- Asking the child to write down a grocery list or reminder notes
- Making birthday, Christmas or general cards instead of buying cards.
- In a basement or playroom, create a chalkboard on the wall for the child to practice writing.
- Taking trips to the library together
This is just a short list as to how to invite literacy into the home. However just doing these little things could benefit the child's learning immensely. This proves that learning does not just stop at the exiting of a school building.
This is a super fun idea. It seems like an easy, reasonable way to engage children in reading and learning in a home setting. It is important to understand that learning does not exclusively have to occur in a school setting or in a class room. Children, and all people for that matter, should constantly be open to learning and evolving in all aspects of their lives and not just at one specific time. Bringing the learning into the home and involving the parents or guardians is a great way to keep learning going.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post. I liked how you included pictures. I had never heard of the "What's Missing" game before, and will have to remember it.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is a librarian, so growing up my parents read to me all the time. I will say though, we did not do most of the fun activities you listed. I teach young kids now, and one of their favorite games is I Spy, but I never thought to play the game with letters. I love to read and I want to pass that along to all of the kids I teach. I think I will use some of these ideas to get my kids more into reading.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is a librarian, so when I was growing up reading was a big part of my life. I still love reading, and I am also a preschool teacher. I try to pass my love of reading to my kids, but it does not always work. I have never tried to play these kinds of games with them though. My class right now loves to play I Spy, so I might try to use your version of I Spy to get them into reading a little bit more. These are some great fun ideas!
ReplyDeleteChild and parent/guardian interaction/teaching/learning is definitely always, always a great idea. I think you have added some extra fun ways to ensure that a child gets to learn at home and not just at school. I have seen, more than I would have liked to, children associating the fact that they only or primarily learn at school and not at home with the idea that parents/guardians are not "smart" enough to teach them anything, and or not "smart" enough to understand them. If parents/guardians incorporated more/enjoyable learning at home,the relationship would only strengthen, as the child's intelligence increases.
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