Helping your toddler understand language

We all know how important it is to read to our kids and often I hear from parents "you have to many books" or "she doesn't need any books - she doesn't read them." Well, I always have to bite my tongue because how is a child to learn to love reading if no one ever reads to them? How are they to learn to focus on what they are hearing and start understanding instructions, descriptions, what people are saying to them if no one reads to them?

Today's books are dedicated to the smallest readers. Baby's and Toddlers. Yes, they don't read yet - but their vocabulary is growing 7 words each day. They are learning to pay attention, to listen, to focus and proper sentence structure. Reading is important to all children regardless of their age but especially to the 0-6 year old child.

Ten Tiny Toes

by Caroline Jayne Church

ISBN: 978-0545536011

$7.73 board book

About the book:

Caroline Jayne Church brings her adorable toddler art and lovely rhymes to this joyful twist on the tried-and-true classic, HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES, AND TOES. From ears that wiggle to bellies that giggle, TEN TINY TOES is sure to inspire little ones as they learn to celebrate their "mouth, ears, eyes, nose, and a love that grows and grows."

My thoughts:

This adorable book is one of 2 year old Gianna's favorite books. The pictures in the book are of an adorable baby that really connected with Gianna and she will mimic the actions of the baby – one page shows him waving his arms and she will do so, another shows him touching his toes and yet another he’s  balancing on one leg. When we are finished we sing the "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" song. This would make a really cute book for a baby shower or a first birthday gift.

God Made You Just Right

by Jill Roman Lord

ISBN: 978-0824919764

$7.99 board book

About the book: A bright and cheerful reminder that God made each of us special and unique

Here is a message that every parent will want to share with his or her child: You're brilliantly created and there s no one else like you! With easy-to-understand descriptions and simple, rhyming text, Jill Roman Lord shares the message that God created each of us in just the right way in a manner that even the youngest child will understand. Bright and engaging illustrations from Amy Wummer pair perfectly with the text and enhance the appeal of the book. Ages 2-5.

God made you very special

And I hope you know it’s true.

Your’re brilliantly created,

And there’s no one else like you!

My thoughts:

This book is for the slightly older infant or younger toddler. Gianna still hasn’t really connected with it but I don’t think it will be much longer. The story itself has quite a few more words with each page consisting of 1 long sentence that requires a little more ability to focus on the picture and comprehend what the phrase is saying. The words are a bit bigger too and unless your child is used to you using “bigger” words like brilliantly, perfect, special, blessed they may not understand them till they are closer to 3 or 3 ½. Gianna has been speaking in full sentences since she was just 2 and she regularly uses these kinds of words – but she is not yet sitting to listen to longer passages of words

This is a wonderful book that encourages and shows children that they are special to God. He took the time to plan each child and knew their purpose and needs before they were born. The images in the books are full of joy and emotion and kids can easily see the description of what the text is saying.

I personally think this book is for kids 2 ½ and up – if your child is not ready to sit and listen to lots of words it would be very easy to share the books and talk about the pictures. What is the child doing in this picture? Are they happy or sad? You can also encourage your child to act out what’s happening on that page: He made your two legs super strong (accent the words Super Strong) to RUN and JUMP and PLAY. This is an example of a sentence that you can say to your child as well as your day goes on – it’s great for interaction, practicing word combinations and helping your child understand or comprehend what you are saying.

I received a copy of each of these books to read and review on GivingNSharing. I received no money and was just asked to give my honest opinion of each book. Thanks for reading!

A is for Apple (Trace & Flip Fun)

A is for Apple
(Trace & Flip Fun)
by Georgie Birkett
ISBN: 978-1589258723
$ 6.83 (lower than Walmart/Target)

About the book:
Engage your kids in discovering and learning basic concepts of the alphabet. By running their finger along large, grooved letters, children can explore each shape. Colorful lift the flaps on every sturdy page further reinforces easy learning. Each board page features a capital letter that a child can trace with their finger, a flap to lift to find a surprise and bright illustrations!

My thoughts:
We can't go past a shelf of books at the store, garage sale or even get in the car without a book or car in her hands. Recently I introduced Gianna (18 months) to Flap Books. She already enjoys Touchy Feely Books & so this book is a great fit for her. I have also been actively looking for books & toys for when we begin Tot School this fall. For those of you who don't know what Tot School is it's "Focused Learning through Play" and so this book and it's sister book "123 Count With Me" will be a great addition to our learning time.

I had actually seen this book at Walmart about a week ago but didn't purchase it at the time because I was thinking she wasn't ready for "writing". Yesterday we saw this book at Target and of course Gianna latched onto it. Each individual page is dedicated toward 1 letter and shows pictures of objects that start with that letter. So, C is for Cat (flip the flap and find a Car), A is for Apple (flip the flap and find an ant). One of the things I liked was that each letter is a grooved letter and each shows arrows so children can properly learn the correct way to write a letter. This is the way kids are taught to write their letters in school and now we can reinforce it at home or preschool. We have already been using our pointer finger to help us count the birds in our counting book so it was nice to extend that skill into "writing" our letters.

(Example: If you look at the red cards to the right each letter on the card has an arrow show kids which way to trace & learn the correct way to "write" the letter - this book takes it one step further and shows Steps 1, 2 and 3 with corresponding numbers so kids know the correct sequence to trace)

The first time I read the book to her she used her finger for about 4-6 letters - and then started struggling with me. Now though she climbs right up in my lap and gets her pointer finger ready to do her tracing. She carries this book around quite a bit and if I don't take it out of her hand when she brings it to me she will grab my hand and turn it to grasp the book. Its pretty interesting to watch. She's such a smart little cookie!

I think this book and 123 Count with Me is ideal for the 18 month to 6 year old range easily. Even if your little one doesn't have the dexterity to do the tracing perhaps the flaps might be fun. If you child is still tearing books I'd suggest making it a reading with mom/dad type book.

Other books by Georgie Birkett (click on the image to purchase - thank you!)

   

Disclaimer: I purchased this book myself and am reviewing this as a service to my readers. I was not compensated for this review in any way.

I Love You Blankie ~ Review

It's been a while since I last did a review for a cute baby/toddler storybook. Many of you know that until last year I also blogged on Classic Children's Books and last year I made the decision to consolidate both blogs onto GivingNSharing and know the kids books are starting to come in again. =D My kiddos are excited and I have to say: So am I!

I Love You Blankie
by Sheryl Haft
ISBN: 978-0316283564
$8.99 (board book)

About the book:

A flowing sail, a hot air balloon, a fluffy cloud, a glowing moon... with a little imagination, a blankie can be anything!

This sweet and playful board book will encourage little ones to think big as they head off into dreamland. As bedtime nears, the blankie turns into a balloon, a cloud, and a shooting star, eventually placing him safely into bed where he can keep dreaming and snuggling, too.

Debut author Sheryl Haft and artist Jane Massey have crafted an adorable story around a universal bedtime theme. Featuring a soft padded cover, this is the perfect book to inspire sweet dreams.

My thoughts:
Gianna (15 months) and I opened a surprise book from a publisher about 3 weeks ago and she was so excited! Everyday the minute she walks in my door (she is a daycare kiddo) she immediately heads to a little bookshelf & reading nook that I set up just for her that has books for her to dump on the floor bring to me to read. Besides Animal Noises and a book about colors the other book that she needs to read everyday (several times a day) is I Love You Blankie! by Sheryl Haft.

The pictures are big, the colors attract her attention and while she doesn't understand that the child in the book is pretending she loves to "talk" about the whale and the balloon (Boo) and she also loves to point at the blankie. I see this storybook being a favorite for a long long time. 

I Love You Blankie is available NOW to order: http://bit.ly/ILoveYouBlankie

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest review. Regardless I only recommend products or services I have personally read or used & think my readers will enjoy.