How does your child hear and talk?

          Every child is unique and has an individual rate of  development. This chart represents, on average, the age by which most children will accomplish the listed skills.              

 3 to 4 years

Hearing and Understanding:

¨ Hears you when you call from another room.

¨ Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members.

¨ Understands simple who, what, where, why questions.

Talking:

¨ Talks about activities at school or at friends’ homes.

¨ People outside family usually understand child’s speech.

¨ Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words.

¨ Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words.

4 to 5 years

Hearing and Understanding:

¨ Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about it.

¨ Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school.

Talking:

¨ Voice sounds clear, like other children’s.

¨ Uses sentences that give lots of details.

¨ Tells stories that stick to the topic.

¨ Communicates easily with other children and adults.

¨ Says most sounds correctly except a few, like l, s, r, v, z, sc, sh, th.

¨ Uses the same grammar as rest of family. 

  Children typically don’t master all items in a category until they reach the upper age in each range. If your child hasn’t accomplished one skill within the age range, this doesn’t mean she has a disorder. However, if you have answered no to the majority of items in an age range, seek the advice of an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Information provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

How does your child hear and talk?

  Every child is unique and has an individual rate of development. This chart represents, on average, the age by which most children will accomplish the listed skills.

1 to 2 years

Hearing and Understanding:

¨ Points to a few body parts when asked.

¨ Follows simple commands and understands questions (“Roll the ball,” “Kiss the baby,” “Where’s your shoe?”).

¨ Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes.

¨ Points to pictures in a book when named.

Talking:

¨ Says more words every month.

¨ Uses some 1-2-word questions (“Where Kitty?” “Go bye-bye?” What’s that?”).

¨ Puts 2 words together (“more cookie,” “no juice,” “mommy book”).

¨ Uses many different consonant sounds of the beginnings of words.

2 to 3 years

Hearing and Understanding:

¨ Understands differences in meaning (“go-stop,” “in-on,” “big-Little,” “up-down”).

¨ Follows two request (Get the book and put it on the table”).

Talking:

¨ Has a word for almost everything.

¨ Uses 2-3-word “sentences” to talk about and ask for things.

¨ Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time.

¨ Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them.

  Children typically don’t master all items in a category until they reach the upper age in each range.

Information provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Giving Children Access to Print Materials Improves Reading Performance

   Studies show that children's book lending and ownership programs have a  have positive behavioral, educational, and psychological outcomes.

   Access to print materials:

· Improves children's reading performance

· Proves instrumental in helping children learn the basics of reading

· Causes children to read more and for longer lengths of time

· Produces improved attitudes toward reading and learning among children.

   Borrow books from your library. Books and magazine subscriptions are good holiday and birthday presents.

...From Reading is Fundamental

How does your child hear and talk?

   Every child is unique and has an individual rate of development. The following represents, on average, the age by which most children will accomplish the listed skills.

Birth to 3 months

Hearing and Understanding:

· Startles to loud sounds.

· Quiets or smiles when spoken to.

· Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if crying.

· Increases or decreases sucking behavior in response to sound.

Talking:

· Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing).

· Cries differently for different needs.

· Smiles when sees you.

4 to 6 months

Hearing and Understanding:

· Moves eyes in direction of sounds.

· Responds to changes in tone of your voice.

· Notices toys that make sounds.

· Pays attention to music.

Talking:

· Babbling sounds more speech-like, with many different sounds, including p, b, and m.

· Vocalizes excitement and displeasure.

· Makers gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you.

7 months to 1 year

Hearing and Understanding:

· Enjoys games like peekaboo and patty-cake.

· Turns and looks in direction of sounds.

· Listens when spoken to.

· Recognizes words for common items, like “cup,” “shoe,” and “juice.”

· Begins to respond to requests (“Come here,” and “Want More?”)

Talking:

· Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds, such as “tata upup bibibibi.”

· Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep
attention.

· Imitates different speech sounds.

· Has 1 or 2 words (bye-bye, dada, mama) although they may not be clear.

  Children typically don’t master all items in a category until they reach the upper age in each range.

  Information provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association.

Motor Skills and Early Literacy

   Young children develop all sorts of motor skills as they grow.  Here are some that pertain to books and literacy.
   At 6-12 months a baby can reach for a book, and put it in his mouth.  He can sit in your lap, hold his head steady and turn pages with adult help.
   At 12-16 months a baby can sit without support, may carry a book, can hold a book with help, and turn pages of a board book, several at a time.
   At 18-24 months, a baby can turn pages of a board book, one page at a time, and can carry a book around the house.
   At 24-36 months, a toddler learns to handle paper pages, and goes back and forth in books to find her favorite pictures.
   At ages 3 years and up, a child exhibits competent book handling and can turn paper pages, one page at a time.

Key to future success: Learning to read well by fourth grade

 Just 34 percent of fourth graders are reading at an acceptable level in grade four. Only 8 percent are "advanced" readers. On the surface, it may appear to parents that their children have four more years of grade school in order to become acceptable readers, but new studies show the importance of reading by grade four.

Findings by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, are the first to show that kids are far more likely to drop out of high school if they can't read pretty well by fourth grade. Unless America dramatically improves the number of kids who can, a growing proportion of the them will live in poverty as adults. The Foundation contends that the tendency to drop out of high school begins in the early grades when children don't learn to read. They say dropouts "don't just happen."

What can parents do?
* Show that education is important by getting a GED if they didn't graduate from high school themselves.
* Do all they can to assure that kids attend school every day.
* Show an interest in their children's reading beginning in first grade. Have them read to you and help them with the words.
* Provide books they like. Let them pick out books at the library or grocery store. Some kids like comic books.
* Don't let them lose reading skills over the summer. Keep them in practice. Find books they will like to read.

Visit the New River Public Library Cooperative’s web page at and take a look at “Great Web Sites for Kids”.

The web sites included are for children up to 14 years of age.

They include topics such as dinosaurs, science experiments, computers, history, sports, and cultures of the world. Also included is a section for parents, caregivers, and teachers.

Reading Tips for Parents

Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child!
Read together every day

Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.

Give everything a name
Build your child's vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects.

Say how much you enjoy reading
Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her.

Read with fun in your voice
Read to your child with humor and expression.

Use different voices. Ham it up!

Know when to stop
Put the book away for awhile if your child loses interest or is having trouble paying attention.

Be interactive
Discuss what's happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.

Read it again and again
Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time!

Talk about writing, too
Mention to your child how we read from left to right and how words are separated by spaces.

Point out print everywhere
Talk about the written words you see in the world around you. Ask your child to find a new word on each outing.

Get your child evaluated
Be sure to see your child's pediatrician you have concerns about hearing, sight, or language development.

From readingrockets.org

Read Kiddo Read

James Patterson has long been known for his books for adults.  He's a prolific and popular author.

Now, James Patterson has a website 'dedicated to making kids readers for life."  What started out as a project to encourage his child to read, is expanded now as a source for reading information for parents, teachers and librarians.

ReadKiddoRead provides information on good books grouped by ages. Books are suggested, a synopsis given, and other books with similar themes are listed.  Also included are reading guides, tips to encourage reading, and a section aimed at getting boys to read.

Great Websites for Kids

The Association for Library Service to Children has made available their list of Great Websites for Kids.

In the midst of so many webpages, it is smart to be a good information consumer. These websites for children were evaluated by librarians using the following criteria:
~ Authorship/Sponsorship: Who Put up the Site?
~ Purpose: Every Site Has a Reason for Being There.
~ Design and Stability: A Great Site Has Personality and Strength of Character.
~ Content: A Great Site Shares Meaningful and Useful Content that Educates, Informs, or Entertains.

The full list of criteria is available here. These are good suggestions for evaluating any web site, whether for children or adults.

The web sites included are for children up to 14 years of age. The include topics such as dinosaurs, science experiments, computers, history sports and cultures of the world. Also included is a section for parents, caregivers, and teachers.

I've also added this to the library's section of finding information online.

Read Across America

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

What better way to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday than reading to a child? On March 2 (Dr. Seuss’s birthday), Random House and the National Education Association urge you to participate in Read Across and read to a child .

Why Celebrate Dr. Seuss?
Dr. Seuss epitomizes a love of children and learning. Also, his use of rhyme makes his books an effective tool for teaching young children the basic skills they need to be successful. When we celebrate Dr. Seuss and reading, we send a clear message to America’s children that reading is fun and important. ....seussville.com

So have some fun. Pick out a good book and Read Across America.

Read to your children

Can't say it too many times:

Children whose parents read to them become better readers and perform better in school. Other family activities, such as telling stories and singing songs, also encourage children’s acquisition of literacy skills.

Source: Every Child Ready to Read, the joint project of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children

Summer Library Programs

The libraries are busy getting ready for summer programs. Each has a great schedule of programs of interest to children and teens to keep them reading during the summer. Books, stories, activities and performers are planned. Check the schedule on our webpage or pick up a copy at the library.

Programs start in June and continue through July. Dates and times vary at each library.

Studies show that children who participate in summer library programs increase their vocabulary and reading comprehension scores. We want to keep children reading so they don’t lose their reading proficiency while on summer vacation.

And of course, we want children to enjoy summer library programs and reading.

National Reading Ambassador

Did you know that we have a national Reading Ambassador?

Jon Scieszka, children's book author, was named ambassador earlier this year. The press release says (in part):
"Scieszka, the writer of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and the Caldecott Honor-winning The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, will use his two-year term to promote reading and to reach out to reluctant readers through the media, personal appearances, and project development."

In addition to his work as an author and ambassador for reading, Jon Scieszka has developed a webpage for reluctant boy readers called Guys Read. Mr. Scieszka says “I’m speaking to that knucklehead in the back of the classroom, because that knucklehead was me.”

Summer programs at the library

Libraries locally and across the state are gearing up for summer programs at the library. The goal is to keep children reading during the summer so that they maintain their reading skills while school is not in session.

Reading is like learning to play the piano...children get better with practice.

Library staff will be visiting schools to tell children about programs and distribute schedules. Schedules will also be available at the libraries and online.

For Reading Out Loud

The new audio books for children that the libraries were able to purchase (with a grant from the State Legislature and local Rotary clubs) are available at your library. More have been ordered and will be on the shelf soon.

The audio books are a way for children to listen to a story read aloud. Of course, the best way is to read in person to your children. By reading aloud with your children and encouraging them to read on their own, you are helping them become better readers and listeners, and better students.

It's never to early or too late to start reading aloud.

For Reading Out Loud

Reading aloud to children is one of the best ways to help them discover the joy of reading. It's never too early or too late to start.

The grant and donations that the Cooperative received on behalf of the libraries is for purchase of audio books for children.

It's not exactly the same as reading aloud in person but there are enough similarities to make this form of reading aloud beneficial to children.

Check out the new audio books we've purchased.

For Reading Out Loud

Another donation--thanks to Rotary Club of Baker County for their donation to Emily Taber Public Library. This donation supplements the CLIC grant that the Cooperative received on behalf of the libraries.

If you haven't seen them already, look for the displays of new audio books for children in your library.

For Reading Out Loud

"The single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." from Becoming a Nation of Readers, a 1985 report by the Commission on Reading.

This is still true 23 years later. The best way for reading aloud to children is a parent reading to a child.

The Cooperative has received, on behalf of the libraries a grant funded by the Florida State Legislature for 2008. For Reading Out Loud will purchase audio materials for children in the three counties.

This grant program, Community Libraries in Caring,(CLIC), will allow the libraries to purchase additional audio materials for children. If you haven't already seen a display in the libraries of these new audio materials, you will soon.

While audiobooks are not the exact same thing as reading aloud in person, there are enough similarities to make this an adjunct to in-person reading aloud.

And we've partnered with the Rotary Clubs in each county. Each Rotary club donated additional money to supplement the grant award for each county. March was Literacy Month in Rotary and literacy is a special project of Rotary clubs worldwide.

A big thank you to local Rotary clubs and the Florida State Legislature.

Read Across America

Read Across America Day is Monday, March 3, 2008. From the NEA (National Education Association) website:

(Read Across America) was orignally a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading, NEA's Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P., and more than 50 national sponsors including the National Football League Players Association, has grown into the nation's largest reading celebration.

Read Across America culminates each year on March 2—the birthday of beloved children's author Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The program provides children with motivation to read and delivers an important message: Kids who read—and are read to—do better in school and in life. Read Across America calls on every community to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday through reading motivation and awareness. The literacy program also provides NEA members, parents, caregivers, and children the resources and activities they need to keep reading on their calendar 365 days a year.

It's a day to notice, but we hope you don't need a special day to read to your child...read every day!