Guest Contributor: Cathy Puett Miller, “The Literacy Ambassador”

Today’s families are busy (and scheduled) more than ever. With grocery carts that provide a toy car to ride in (far away from Mom or Dad) and DVD players in cars, there can be too many “no talk” zones. And why is that important? Because, as Dr. Catherine Snow, one of the most expert researchers in the area of early language and literacy learning says, “Everyday conversation is the basic activity in the world for three-to-five-year-olds…. For young children, it’s through the talk that learning goes on.” And that keeps being a benefit as your child grows. The tangible benefits of regular conversations with our children include:

• improved vocabulary
• strong listening abilities
• improved thinking and reasoning abilities
• broadening of knowledge
• understanding of more complex concepts
• strengthened family relationships where learning happens in a comfortable supportive environment

Did you know that the vocabulary level of children in 1st grade can predict at least 30% of their success in comprehending what they read when they are 16 or 17? So, what do the conversations look like in order to have those results? They don’t need to be overly structured; sometimes great conversations are simple ones in which you talk about the sounds of words, make rhymes, play with changing the first letter of your child’s name and being silly together. 

In any case, we need to be careful that our conversations are full of more than just “correcting and directing”. The more complex the sentences, the more unique and interesting words that are used, the more you explore ideas by talking about them, the better the benefit. Reading aloud with your child and talking about what you are reading is also a terrific way to squeeze in some chat time. Don’t be afraid to allow interruptions and ask questions that start with “how” or “why”. You’ll be amazed at what your child tells you! More »

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With just a few weeks to go before school started, my three kids were beginning to show the inevitable signs of summer-sibling-strain: way too many squabbles going on with calls to mom or dad for reporting or resolution.

So we did the family meeting thing.  We started with the ”something has to change” parent speech. Alexandra, our youngest, suggested we needed a family game night.  We verbally patted her on the head and went on about our lecture-as-solution technique.   Persistent person that she is, Alexandra wouldn’t let go of her approach to world peace.  She continued to bring up her game night request.  Finally, wanting to honor her sincerity and enthusiasm and confidence, we agreed to her suggestion.

The Power of Play

It seems our daughter is wise beyond her years.  The experience of playing together truly did shift our family dynamics.  Alexandra’s instinct really brought home the wisdom I have heard seasoned specialty toy retailers tout every spring during their “turn off the TV week” promotions.  Board games really do foster communication and joy and build new skills.

One of those skills, we found, was our children’s creative use of adjectives to describe how lame they find their father.  Whatever.  A caring father is willing to be the fall guy for higher learning.

Good Dads

I started thinking about the difference between “being a good dad” by setting up the swing set vs. “being a good dad” by participating in a game.  Swing set assembly was important to the joy of my children when they were younger.  Game playing turned out to be joy for me!

My kids were tough on our first game night–but very entertaining.   I noticed the strain of minor fracases was replaced by laughter.   And that laughter shaped us beyond the hours of game playing.  Days later we were a kinder, gentler group!

I saw cognitive leaps as Sean made up his own rules, rules he was subtly crafting to leave me in the dust and to make us all laugh.  I discovered that overt and humor- filled “cheating” stretched all our brains and deposited priceless family lore in the memory banks.

I am the newly crowned Sorry World Champion.  I’m making them beg for a rematch.

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In the Sunday, May 3 edition of the New York Times Magazine, Peggy Orenstein writes about the rise of testing and academics, and the demise of play in kindergarten. Her article, Kindergarten Cram, prominently features an important report published in March by the Alliance for Childhood. The report, Crisis in the Kindergarten; Why Children Need to Play in School, struck a note with Orenstein.

She shares her own experience seeking a school environment that would better honor the natural pace of childhood- one not imposing the characteristics of academia more appropriate for middle and high schoolers onto children under the age of 10. Here’s an excerpt:

Instead of digging in sandboxes, today’s kindergartners prepare for a life of multiple-choice boxes by plowing through standardized tests with cuddly names like Dibels (pronounced “dibbles”), a series of early-literacy measures administered to millions of kids; or toiling over reading curricula like Open Court – which features assessments every six weeks.

How did we get so confused?

We’ve been told in no uncertain terms what is good for children, and yet we somehow completely misconstrued the message!

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Spring has sprung and I’m awed by the wisdom of two year olds!  The ONLY place they want to be is “outzide,” chasing birds, comparing sticks, picking dandelion blossoms, digging in the dirt.

Watching.

Alert for all that unfolds before them-whether it be garbage trucks or crawling ants!

Follow the lead of the child and you’ll be partner to amazing discoveries.

Kids need time and space to discover their comfort in the outdoors without scripted direction.  Many parents remember fondly the adventures of their own extended free time outdoors. Meghan Frances writes the following:

As a child, I loved going outdoors for its own sake, but looking back, I value the gifts it gave me: a strong, healthy body; an up-close-and-personal relationship with the birds and bugs and plants of Northern Michigan; a resilience borne of the many scraped shins and bike crashes I never let slow me down; and the joy of knowing that every day held adventure and excitement right outside my front door.

Nevertheless, the same parents report by the time their children reach school age they don’t want to play outdoors, that they seem incapable of making their own fun.

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