September 2020
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THE ALPHABET A Building Block to Backpack Awareness Choose the right style as your children grow Reading and change through the years: Before children can begin to string letters together to form words, • Avoid the one-strapped crossbody style. they need to be able to recognize individual letters and their sounds. Two straps split the weight of the backpack It is also important to point out to your child that the same letter can across the shoulders, alleviating back, neck, look different depending on whether it is presented in uppercase or and shoulder pain. lowercase. Fortunately, there are many simple and fun ways to help your • Thicker shoulder pads prevent backpacks from child build a strong understanding of the alphabet. digging into children’s shoulders, backs, and necks. Make sure it is close to the body and not sagging. • Ask your child to find items on the store shelves that begin with the first letter in his name. • Distribute the weight in the provided pockets and • Write letters on pieces of paper and put them in a paper bag. encourage children to carry the heaviest items in Let your child reach into the bag and take them out. their hands. Ask her to say the sounds that match the letters. • A child’s backpack should not exceed 15–20 percent • Make a book that has a page for each letter of the alphabet. of his or her body weight. Have your child find or draw a picture that begins with each letter and paste it on the page. • Make magnetic letters available, and encourage your child to play with them on a surface such as a refrigerator or cookie sheet. BOOKS • Have your child spell his name using cooked spaghetti. Eating the Alphabet Then practice forming other letters. CONCEPT JE Ehlert, Lois Augie to Zebra: An Alphabet Book CONCEPT JE Endle, Kate Bear Is Awake! CONCEPT JE Harrison, Hannah Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets CONCEPT JE O’Leary, Sara SEPTEMBER 2020 DEVELOP LARGE MUSCLES THROUGH PLAY Running, jumping, dancing, and climbing are some of the fun ways kids can develop their large muscles and improve coordination. Active play also provides opportunities for children to learn concepts and practice getting along with others. • Let your child “paint” the driveway using a paint roller, paint pan, and water. • Play an old-fashioned game such as Hopscotch or Duck, Duck, Goose. If you have forgotten how to play, check out a book that explains the rules. • Do the Hokey Pokey together. • Pretend to be an animal. There are some great songs on Greg and Steve’s music CD Kids in Motion to make pretending even more fun. Monitor Screen Time BOOKS Controlling a child’s screen time is an ongoing challenge. Some screen time can be educational and How Do You support social development. However, it’s important Wokka-Wokka? to have rules and set limits, especially if screen time JE Bluemle, Elizabeth interferes with other activities. Consider these tips: Peanut & Fifi Have a Ball • Prioritize unplugged, unstructured playtime. JE de Seve, Randall • Create screen-free times during meals. Spunky Little Monkey • Set limits and curfews, such as no screen time an hour before bed. JE Martin, Bill • Use apps that control the length of time I Got the Rhythm a child can use a device. JE Schofield-Morrison, • Require devices to be charged outside Connie of the bedroom at night. • Keep screens out of your child’s bedroom. SEPTEMBER 2020 SEPTEMBER 2020 1 2 3 4 5 Work together Take a walk to make a card & count the to give for squirrels you see. Grandparents Day. LIBRARY 6 LIBRARY 7 8 9 10 11 12 CLOSED CLOSED As you read a Before reading, look Check out a book Labor Day Labor Day rhyming book, at the book’s cover about squirrels Weekend pause to let your child and guess what the to find out how they fill in the next story will be about. get ready for winter. rhyming word. Sing “Head, Grandparents 13 Shoulders, Knees, 14 15 16 17 18 19 Day and Toes” fast and then slow. Or have him Choose a recipe Look for things tell you body parts and to make together around the house actions to add to the and make a that begin song: “If you’re happy shopping list for with the same letter and you know it, point to your toes.” needed items. as your child’s name. 20 21 Fall Begins 22 23 24 25 26 Help your child learn Count the number Use an egg carton how to blow her nose, Make a fort with of school buses to sort beans, buttons, wash her hands, wipe pillows and blankets (or trucks, etc.) seen or beads by size. her bottom, and brush to play in. as you are traveling. her hair independently. 27 28 29 30 Put masking tape on Go to a farm and pick the floor in the shape apples. Count how of letters. Have your many you picked. child walk, crawl, or hop along the lines. MAKE READING FUN! • Take 20 minutes per day to read to your child. This will BOOKS help the child understand that text on a page has meaning, Just Read! develop listening and language skills, and learn new words. JE Degman, Lori • Make sure your child sees you reading for enjoyment. The Magician’s Hat Your own excitement about books will be contagious! JE Mitchell, Malcolm • Read all types of books. Our Children’s Nonfiction Collection is full of interesting books for four- and five-year-olds. Dreamers JE Morales, Yuyi • Read a story together and then act it out using stuffed animals, dolls, or puppets. The Book Hog JE Pizzoli, Greg • Set up a special reading nook for your child somewhere in your home. Add a comfy chair and a lamp. • Ask a children’s librarian for a book recommendation. Have your child tell you a story about an event they can remember. How did they feel when it happened? Were they sad, excited, disappointed, surprised? Gun Safety Discussing emotions helps children learn and understand Remember these four important steps when teaching their own emotions and the feelings of those they read about, your kids about gun safety: which can help them with reading comprehension. • Stop. Encourage children to stop if they encounter a firearm. Stopping will give children time to think and remember all of the safety instructions that are vital to saving a life—including their own. • Don’t touch. A firearm that is left alone isn’t likely to be fired or otherwise endanger your child or others. • Run away. Encourage your child, as well as anyone else with them, to leave the area of an unattended firearm, ensuring safety for everyone. • Tell a grown-up. Instruct your child to notify you or a trusted adult if he or she encounters an unattended firearm. OCTOBER 2020 OCTOBER 2020 1 2 3 While walking around the Put a simple neighborhood, look puzzle together. for circles, squares, and rectangles. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Write your child’s name on index cards, writing one letter per card. Count the number Play a game like Mix up the cards. of seeds in an apple Go Fish together. Can your child put them or a pumpkin. in the correct order to spell her name? 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Go for a walk Recite or sing Read a simple fairy Check out outside. Collect the days tale together a shape book leaves and sort them of the week. and then act it out. to read together. by size or color. 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 When reading, discuss the feelings Talk with your child of the characters. Count the stairs as about how to take Ask questions you walk up and down. care of books. such as, how would you feel if you were that character? 25 26 27 28 29 30 Halloween 31 Read a book about Point to the words Start a story. Stop animal hibernation, as you read your and let him make like Time to Sleep child a story today. up the ending. by Denise Fleming. BOOKS SONGS, WORD PLAY, Salsa Lullaby AND RHYMING JE Arena, Jen Singing helps children learn new words. Singing slows down Red House, Tree language so children can hear the different sounds and the syllables House, Little Bitty in words. Singing is a fun bonding experience you can share with Brown Mouse your child and helps develop listening and memory skills. JE Godwin, Jane • Talk and play with rhymes. Match rhyming pictures. Motor Goose: • Sing the Alphabet Song. Sing it fast, and then sing it slowly. Rhymes That Go! • Sing nursery rhymes. JE NURSERY RHYMES • Read stories that rhyme, like Silly Sally by Audrey Wood. Nighttime Symphony • Check out music CDs or downloadable music from the JE Timbaland library. Allow your child to listen to music in the car or at home. • Clap out the syllables in words with your child. This will help your child understand how words are broken up into parts. Avoiding Poison As you start cleaning your home in preparation for the holidays and guests, remember that young children are curious and may find everyday cleaning products attractive. Here are some tips to avoid accidental poisoning: • Keep chemical products in their original bottles or containers. Do not use food containers such as cups, bottles, or jars to store chemical products like cleaning solutions or beauty products. • Never mix household products together. • Turn on the fan and open windows when using chemical products such as household cleaners.