| The Write Stuff |
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The next time your child wants to paint or color, try taping the paper to an easy-to-clean upright surface, such as a window or door. Having the paper vertical will require your child to use more muscles in his or her hand than if the paper were flat. This is an easy way to help your child get ready to write! |
| Free Learning Programs! |
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Are your kids bouncing off the walls with cabin fever? Are you looking for fun, free things to do around town? Then our children's story programs are for you! Whether your child is just learning how to chew on books, already loves being read to, or just wants to sing and dance to some silly songs, he or she will have a blast! Plus, your child will be learning while playing, as our trained youth librarians incorporate early literacy activities into every program!
We've got story programs for a variety of ages--there's sure to be something that's just right for your little one. Join us for:
* Babytime
* Toddler Time
* Preschool Storytime
* Family Storytime
* Pajama Storytime
* International Storytime
Call 616-784-2007 or visit www.kdl.org/events to find specific dates, times and locations! |
| Books! Books! Books! |
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Don't miss these great spring reads!
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Greetings!
The Kent District Library wants to help get your child ready to read and write! In this newsletter, you will find FUN and simple activities to do with your child that will help meet that goal. For more information on the skills your child needs before he or she learns to read, visit the Play-Grow-Read section of the KDL website. You can also stop by any KDL branch--our youth librarians would love to share their knowledge with you!
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| Learning with Crafts! |
The seasons are changing, and the butterflies are hatching--this is the perfect time to create life cycle cards with your child! Grab some old newspapers or magazines and cut out pictures of things that have cycles. Some examples include: baby, child, adult; caterpillar, chrysalis (cocoon), butterfly; and seed, plant, flower. Glue these pictures onto thick paper or cardboard, and then help your child put the cards in order. Talk about what goes first, what comes next, and what goes last. This activity will help your child build narrative skills, which includes knowing that stories have a beginning, middle, and end. |
| Music Madness! |
Listening to music is a great way to bolster those phonological awareness skills! It's also a fabulous way to spend some time dancing, singing and acting goofy with your child! It's surprising what a great workout a dance or two can be! From swimming like a goldfish to pointing out head, shoulders, knees, and toes, you can walk away knowing you've exposed your child to some fun tunes as well as burned a few extra calories! The following five musicians are some of the best in the business. Click on the following links to bring up their CDs in KDL's online catalog:
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| Nursery Nook |
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Saying and playing with nursery rhymes is a great way to bond with your child and help him or her get ready to read! Take a few minutes to share the following rhyme:
Jack Be Nimble
Jack be nimble.
Jack be quick.
Jack jump over the candlestick!
With Babies: Bounce baby on one knee as you say the rhyme. When you get to "jumps over the candlestick," lift baby into the air.
With Toddlers: Toddlers will quickly become familiar with this rhyme and anticipate the "jumps over the candlestick" line in the rhyme.
* Hold hands and face each other.
* Bounce and jump together as you say the rhyme.
With Preschoolers: Preschoolers can really have some fun with this one!
* Add a more physical component by using a block as your candlestick and jumping over it as you say the rhyme.
* Change "Jack" to your child's name. For example, "Shelley be nimble, Shelley be quick..."
* Change the action words to the rhyme: jump, hop, crawl around, go under the candlestick. This will help build listening and comprehension skills as children will need to interpret the new rhyme and follow directions.
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