Abracadabra - Words Really Are Magic

Part Four: The Emotional Life of the Toddler

One of the key developmental accomplishments for toddlers is communication through language. As children move into the second year of life, they begin to grasp the concept that words stand for objects and alter the even more complex concept that words can also stand for ideas and feelings. Many things go into helping this process develop. The stream of language from loving caregivers around the child is the most important.

Extending Kindermusik activities into the home with home materials such as literature books and music CDs not only reinforces the development of language, but also provides a loving ritual between parent and child.

Also helpful is the opportunity to play with toys -- which, after all, are small representations of larger objects, or symbols. A doll standing for a real baby helps pave the way for a word standing for a real object. Exploration Time in Kindermusik class is one example of associating language with objects.

Another element that contributes to language development, of course, is music. As children "tune in" to the elements of pitch, rhythm, contour, repetition and variation, they are learning to focus on the key elements of language. They are also learning about the pleasurable possibilities inherent in the human voice, and about how sounds carry meaning. For example, in the Our Time curriculum, songs with vocal play are fun for children to sing, but are also helping them develop essential language skills. As children grasp these concepts, they fall in love with the magic of language and the joy of being able to communicate their thoughts and needs through speech.

How Children Learn Words!

How many words do you think your children learned this week?

The answer varies. While babies are in a recessive language stage and take in every word and label, toddlers are in an expressive stage with a vocabulary that grows to several thousand words by the age three. Preschool-aged children are in a storytelling stage and love to learn and express new words that way.

 By reading together, your children will internalize basic skills and concepts important for true literacy, such as expanding vocabulary, promoting critical thinking, and providing predictability.

The Power of Reading: When you read to children, you are building pathways in their brains needed for successful reading experiences. They will develop auditory perception that allows them to think about how words sound. Listening to stories helps children enhance their vocabularies and use longer sentences; it increases their attention spans, ability to focus on what is being said and gives them a desire to read.

As you read together, ask specific questions about the characters and the action of the story and the colors and shapes of the illustrations. Then try leaving out key words or phrases, allowing toddlers and preschoolers to "help" by contributing the missing words while toddlers can assist in turning the pages. Keep your baby engaged by "bouncing" to the repeated phrases through out the book.

A Rough Guide for Language Acquisition:

• Expect first words between 12 and 18 months.
• There will probably be a "spurt" of language development before 2 years.
• Anticipate hearing 4 to 5 word sentences by 4 years.
• Grammar should be correct most of the time by 4 years.
• "Other people" will understand almost everything your child says by the time he or she is 4!.

List of on-line resources to help teach your children how to read!

1. Games, printouts and information to help children learn to read! http://www.starfall.com/
2. Great selection of books to help with reading/language acquisition that you can buy or go check out at the library http://www.kaplanco.com/childrens-books.asp
3. HELP: Head Start English: Language Learners website: excellent list of book for children learning English or any child. http://www.hellp.org/tools/docs/list%20of%20children's%20books.pdf

Get your Children Moving!

The Movement-Vision-Reading Connection:  Our visual sense works when our eyes are actively moving. When the body and head move, the vestibular system is activated, and so the eye muscles are strengthen as they move in response.  The more the eyes move, the more the muscles of both eyes work together.  Later on, this eye teaming will enable toddlers to focus on objects as well as to track and then help them to be able to concentrate later as they learn to read in school.

 An Exercise in Sensorimotor Learning

(which helps the movement/vision/reading connection)

I've Been Workin on the Railroad:

In this activitiy children hear actions being labeled, gross motor and locomotor skills are being developed and they also learn stop and go movements.  All these skills help the brain to strengthen neural connections which increase the child's learning ability.

SAY: First we need to fix the RR track!

DO: Clasp hands together and raise them over one shoulder as if lifting a heavy hammer. Bend at the waist and thrust arms down, as if hammering. Label all actions then begin singing first part of song. 

SAY: Whew! That was hard work. We deserve a break; let's run around the room while we sing Dinah won't you blow!

SING: Dinah, won't you blow section while running. Freeze and stop singing after the final note of this section.   SAY: Stop! Back to work on those RR tracks!

PUT IT TOGETHER: Start the song again, singing and moving to the "I've been working...."section followed by the "Dinah won't you blow section". Do the hammer motion to slow part and then running during Dinah part. Repeat

I've Been Workin on the Railroad

I've been workin on the railroad all the live long day.
I've been workin on the railroad just to pass the time away.
Don't you hear the whistle blowing?
Rise up so early in the morn
Don't you hear the Captain shouting, Dinah blow your horn?
Dina won't you blow, Dinah won't you blow, Dinah won't you blow your horn
Dina won't you blow, Dinah won't you blow, Dinah won't you blow your horn

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