Preschool Talk
Talk
Introduction
Talking helps a child develop early literacy skills. Nurture your babbling baby into a talkative toddler by talking and reading to him often. Talking is also an excellent way to build his narrative skills. These skills are needed to help him with reading as he grows older.
Read aloud and encourage your child to read along with you. You can initiate conversations about stories by asking, “What do you see on this page?” or “What do you think will happen next?”
Recommended Activities
Animal Sounds
Making animal sounds is a great way for children to develop their speech. Place some animal toys in a bag and get your child to pull out one animal toy at a time. As your child pulls out an animal toy, they will have to name the animal and make its sound. Alternatively, you can use animal books or pictures of animals.
Make the activity more fun by incorporating the song “When Cows Wake up in the Morning” into the activity or get your child to combine the sounds of two animals. . For example, “If a sheep says baa and a cat goes meow, what does a sheep-cat say? Baa-ow, Baa-ow!” If you have older children participating in the activity, get them to guess where the animal lives or what it eats.
Yummy Food!
Mealtimes are great opportunities for families to communicate. During mealtimes, name and describe the taste, colour and texture of food that the family is having. For example, “Today, we are having some strawberries. Strawberries are red, soft and sweet.”
If you have older children, engage in pretend play and get them to imagine having a meal with their favourite book or movie character. Ask questions like, “What would you eat with your favourite character?” and “What do you think your favourite character likes to eat?”
Vroom I Spot a Truck!
While taking a walk or a bus ride with your child, point to each vehicle that passes by and say its name. To help your child learn how to make sentences, use descriptive words and verbs as you talk about the vehicle. For example, “Look at the blue car. It goes very fast.” Or “The red motorcycle stops at the traffic light.”
As your child gets older, you can introduce other vehicles that are more challenging to pronounce such as cranes, forklifts and bulldozers. Make learning more fun by engaging in a game of “I Spy” and get them to spot the correct vehicle. For example, “I spy a vehicle which begins with T.”
Recommended Books
Title: The Box Turtle
Author: Vanessa Roeder
Publisher: New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, [2020]
Location： Early Literacy Picture Books
Call Number： English ROE
OverDrive Link: https://nlb.overdrive.com/media/4815945
An irresistibly cute story about finding the confidence to be yourself, starring a turtle in search of the perfect shell.
Terrance the turtle was born without a shell, so he uses a cardboard box instead. Terrance loves his box. It keeps him dry on soggy days, safe from snooping strangers, and is big enough to cozy up with a friend. But when another turtle points out that Terrance’s shell is, well, weird, he begins to wonder whether there might be a better shell out there…
Eventually, and through much trial and error, Terrance learns that there’s nothing wrong with being different–especially when it comes to being yourself.
Title: What Sound Is Morning?
Author: Grant Snider
Publisher: San Francisco: Chronicle Books, [2020]
Location: Early Literacy Picture Books
Call Number: English SNI
OverDrive Link: https://nlb.overdrive.com/media/5282423
This beautiful companion to What Color Is Night? helps children explore and celebrate their morning routines.
At the first morning light, everything is quiet. Or is it?
Listen.
Welcome the day by exploring the subtle wonders—and exciting sounds—of the morning with this lyrical and picturesque story.
In the first morning light, all might seem quiet. In this companion to What Color Is Night? Grant Snider explores the sounds—and silences—of morning. Ending in an inspiring call to action—to toss off the covers, throw open the window, and fill the world with your song—this uplifting book is sure to help families feel ready to face the day. With bright art as exuberant as the rooster’s crow, and humorous text celebrating the chipper alarm, the rumbling stomach, and the clanking garbage truck, What Sound Is Morning? is a moving and timeless look at the way each of us begins every day.
• A perfect book to help children establish healthy sleeping and waking habits and morning routines • A morning read-aloud book! Help start the day right with this exuberant and positive tale. • Grant Snider, the creator of Incidental Comics, has over 35,000 fans on Instagram.
For fans of lyrical, beautiful picture books like Today, Good Morning, City, and Before Morning, What Sound Is Morning? will appeal to children who wish to see their world from a new perspective.
Title: Dandelion’s Dream
Author: Yoko Tanaka
Publisher: London: Walker Books and Subsidiaries, 2020.
Location: Early Literacy Picture Books
Call Number: English TAN
What if a dandelion became a dandy lion? With enchanting, ethereal art, this is a wordless story where reality is transformed by imagination.
In a meadow filled with dandelion buds just about to flower, one dandelion blooms into a real lion. Roots and leaves unfurl into four tiny paws and a long tail with a fluffy yellow tuft. What a great, wide world there is to explore when you have paws instead of roots! There are fast trains to ride, regal ships to sail, and cities with lights as bright as Dandelion’s field in full bloom. But will a real lion ever be content to go back to being a rooted dandelion?
Title: Roar!
Author: Katerina Kerouli
Publisher: London: Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2020.
Location: Early Literacy Picture Books
Call Number: English KER
Crocodile lurks in the water, Tiger and Lion prowl through the jungle, Monkey swings through the trees and Snake slithers through the undergrowth in this beautifully illustrated, stylish picture book. Lift the giant flaps to reveal those strong, wide jaws, sharp teeth – and a flicky tongue! – and join in as the animals SNAP, ROAR and HISS.
A larger-than-life look at wild jungle animals, this visually stunning book is a work of art.
All synopsis taken from the respective publishers. The book covers are the copyright of the respective publishing companies.