Early Literacy Around the House: The Kitchen

Parents of small children spend a lot of time in the kitchen, often with kids at our heels fussing because the food isn't ready yet, or wanting to explore the garbage can, refrigerator, or hot oven. Add a little structure to these times of the day with some simple early literacy activities.

• Read cereal boxes. Ever since I could read, I have always read the cereal box while I eat my cereal. Sometimes, they have puzzles and activities printed on the outside, which make them naturally appealing to kids, but even if they are just plain boxes, it is still fun to check out all the different fonts and styles of writing, as well as the interesting scientific words that appear in the ingredients. With pre-readers, the cereal box becomes an instant opportunity for a scavenger hunt. Assign each child a box and a letter of the alphabet, and see how long it takes them to find it somewhere on the box. With very young kids, take a moment to show them the letters of their name, or a letter they have just started being able to identify. 
• Put on a cooking show. When a toddler is waiting impatiently for her breakfast, it can be fun to turn your preparation into a little cooking show where you are the star and your child is the viewer at home. Explain every step you take, no matter how small and then make a big show of completing each task. Your child will become so interested in learning the words for objects like "plate," "measuring cup" and "spoon" that she might forget to be upset that she has to wait two minutes to eat. 
• Follow a recipe together. Kids who are more verbal and have decent motor skills can join you in your cooking adventures by helping you to follow a recipe. If you have time, this can be a more elaborate project - baking cookies or cake, marinating chicken, mixing up spaghetti sauce - but you can also create recipe cards for the simple everyday meals you make all the time, and allow your child to help identify each ingredient required. 
• Take out interesting gadgets and teach your child their names. There are so many random gadgets in the kitchen, most of which we use without thinking much about their names. For young kids, though, these fun items - spatula, whisk, tongs, etc. - present opportunities for learning new vocabulary they will want to hear and repeat again and again. They also provide you with the chance to talk about other concepts, such as  sizes, colors, and shapes. 

Early Literacy Around the House: The Bedroom

For many families, bedtime is the traditional time of day for reading stories, singing songs, and engaging in other quiet early literacy activities together. Here are some suggestions to add to your own evening repertoire.

• Have a special bedtime poem. When my daughter was still less than six months old, we borrowed Here's a Little Poem from the library. In it were several bedtime poems, and I read them to her every night before bed until the book went back to the library. When it was due, I made sure to memorize my favorite one of the poems - "Silverly" by Dennis Lee - so I could continue to share it with her every night. Not only is poetry a great way to introduce language to young babies, it is also a perfect way to signal that it's time to go to sleep. We have gotten out of the habit of saying the poem as regularly now, as toddler bedtime is so much more boisterous than baby bedtime, but when we do have a moment, we still share that poem. I hope to continue the same practice with baby #2!
• Say prayers. As Little Miss Muffet has entered toddlerhood, we have started to include prayers as part of her bedtime routine every night. She has several board books (My First Prayers with Mary, My First Bedtime Prayers and A Small Child's Book of Prayers) which contain kid-friendly prayers accompanied by illustrations, and each night after her teeth are brushed, she has the opportunity to choose the one we will say. Like poems, prayers introduce rhythm, rhyme, and vocabulary, and, if you are hoping your child will eventually memorize certain prayers, saying them at bedtime also helps with that learning process. (For more Christian-themed early literacy activities, see my post about Church.)
• Share a book with a stuffed animal. A stuffed monkey and a baby doll are Little Miss Muffet's two bedtime loveys. Sometimes, we will snuggle with them and read a favorite board book before bed. (For some kids, this activity might be too stimulating to settle them, in which case it is also fun to do first thing in the morning!) 
• Review the day. As Little Miss Muffet gets ready for bed, I often review with her what she has done that day. I start with the morning, and just list a few of the highlights - where we went, who we played with, what toys we enjoyed, and what we did when Daddy got home. This gives her the language to hopefully express her own thoughts about the day as she becomes more verbal, and it also calms her down so that she is in the right frame of mind for drifting off to sleep.

Early Literacy Around the House: The Bathroom

Between hand washing, bath time, and potty training, little kids spend a lot of time in the bathroom. Make these experiences a bit more fun - and educational! - with these early literacy activities.

• Sing "This is the way we wash..." As you wash your child in the bathtub, sing a little verse about each of his parts. (Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush is the perfect tune for this game.) Pay special attention to the words you may not say as much in everyday conversation, such as elbow, eyebrow, thigh, shin, and wrist. If your child already knows some body vocabulary, ask him to tell you which part to sing about next. 
• Draw letters on your child’s back with a washcloth and have her guess them. Preschoolers who are beginning to write letters will have fun with this game as they try to visualize each letter you draw on their skin. Get your child in on the game by hiding your eyes and letting her trace a letter on your hand or arm so you also have a chance to guess. 
• Write in the fog on the mirror. Kids can't resist a mirror that has steamed up after a hot shower. Indulge their fascination and allow them to write and draw in the fog. For added fun, play a game of Win, Lose, or Draw, where you and your child take turns drawing and guessing what has been drawn. 
• Time your hand washing with the ABC song. It can be hard for a young child to take time out of his busy day of play and exploration to wash his hands properly. Make the time go by a little faster by singing the alphabet - or any other favorite children's song - while your child lathers his hands. 
• Sing a tooth brushing song. Many young children, especially toddlers, hate to have their teeth brushed. Ease their anxiety and discomfort by singing them through the experience. Suggested songs include: 

• Teeth are for Brushing (last verse of Hands Are For Clapping from 
Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes)
• Brush Your Teeth by Raffi or Marylee 
• I've Got All These Teeth in My Mouth from Growing Book by Book 

For more household early literacy activities, see my other Early Literacy Around the House posts. 

Early Literacy Around the House: The Living Room

Your living room (or family room, or den, or whatever you prefer to call it) is a great place to engage the entire family in fun early literacy activities and habits. Today's post provides a few suggestions.

• Read aloud as a family. My husband and I began a practice of reading aloud together before we were even married, and it is a tradition we continue now that we have children. Though our kids are small, we don't just read picture books, but poetry, articles, essays, interesting quotations, as well as children's novels, classics, and anything else we think is worth hearing. Sometimes our audience is our daughter (age 2), but other times, we are reading just for the sake of it, knowing that some of it goes over her head, but that some of it sinks in too. By reading aloud as a family in full hearing of all family members you demonstrate very strongly that reading is an important part of your family life.  
• Look at magazines and point out familiar objects, words and letters. Little Miss Muffet is obsessed with magazines. She does often prefer to rip them, but she has also learned a variety of vocabulary from pointing out different things to me in Parents magazine, or in catalogs we receive in the mail. When she was really little, she liked to look at pictures of babies, but more and more, she is interested in knowing the names of household objects, or of letters in different typefaces. If you have a basket of magazines near your couch, or a stack on your coffee table, don't hesitate to let your kids enjoy them. As long as there isn't any objectionable content, these can be a great way to incorporate novel language into your everyday lives.
• Tell stories about family photos on the wall and in albums. Kids love hearing stories about the people in their family. Use family photos as jumping off points for telling tales about your own life before your kids were born, and your kids' own experiences at ages they were too little to remember. If you have long-distance relatives, a photo album is also a great way to teach kids their names so they won't be total strangers each time you get together. Older photographs of grandparents or great-grandparents are also often very interesting to kids, for whom the 20th century feels like ancient history.
• Put together an alphabet puzzle. A table or space on the living room floor is a perfect place to put together an alphabet puzzle. Make it an interactive family experience by dividing up the letters so that everyone is responsible for a certain few. Have your children figure out whose turn it is based on which letter comes next. 

Will you have a Christmas tree in your living room this holiday season? If so, you might also enjoy this post!

Early Literacy Around the House: The Washing Machine

One of the best ways to promote literacy skills in young kids, even before they can talk, is to narrate what you do as you go about your ordinary everyday activities. Whether you wash clothes at home or at the laundromat, the work you do at the washing machine lends itself nicely to many opportunities to introduce novel vocabulary and reinforce important concepts that lead to strong reading skills in older children. Here are some suggestions for ways to focus on early literacy when doing the laundry.

• Read washing instructions on clothing tags. By reading aloud the instructions for washing given articles of clothing, you show your kids that print has significance to even the simplest jobs. Show your kids the connection between what is recommended on the label and how you actually sort, wash, and dry your clothes. 
• Teach vocabulary for different wash and rinse cycles. Wash and rinse cycles usually have both speeds and sizes. What better way to make these concepts more concrete for your kids than to show the differences between a small and extra large load, or to take note of how much more slowly the agitator moves in the gentle versus regular cycles. 
• Identify detergents by their labels. Even before they know their letter names and sounds, kids can begin to associate particular symbols with their meanings. Save old detergent bottles and cut off the labels from fabric softener boxes and allow your child to play with them. Soon, the images on the packages will become so familiar, your child will be able to hand you the item you need on request. 
• Sort clothing into given categories. Young kids love to play in baskets of clothing. Make this fascination work to your advantage by showing your child how to separate out different types of clothing - socks, underwear, pants, etc.  For an added challenge for slightly older kids, have them sort the clothing by color before you wash, or sort clean clothing according to the family member who owns it. 

Bonus idea! Hesitant to let your kids near the actual washing machine? With a printer, paper, and a few baskets, you can make a simple Silly Sentence Sort set that allows kids to have fun with words and laundry without messing up your housework. 

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Zoo

One of our favorite warm weather activities is visiting the zoo! Engage your kids with the zoo experience and practice early literacy skills at the same time with these simple activities.

• Sing a song as you travel to the zoo. Channel your kids' excitement about going to the zoo by singing a cheerful song in the car on the way there. Some suggestions:
• The Keeper at the Zoo
• Going to the Zoo by Raffi
• Say Hello to the Animals
• Practice making the sounds of the animals you see. Often, kids learn animal sounds before they learn to say the names of the animals themselves. What better location to practice than in a place where you're surrounded by animals all day long? (For suggestions on sounds to make for some of the trickier animals, try Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle. For animals that don't make a particular sound, you can act out their movements instead.) 
• Use signs and maps to find your child’s favorite animals. The zoo is a great place to practice map skills, and to begin to understand the importance of signs. Many zoo maps use icons and symbols in addition to words, making it easy for even pre-readers to locate the animals they want to see most. Using a map is also a great way to prioritize your zoo trip, as it is rare that you would be able to see everything in one visit. 
• Try to see an animal for each letter of the alphabet. Keep your kids engaged throughout your visit by making it into a game. Keep a list of the animals you see, and aim to find one for each letter of the alphabet. (If finding 26 animals is too daunting, you might also try finding one for each vowel, letter of your last name, or letter of your children's first names.)  
• Narrate the animals’ behavior. Animals do lots of interesting things that we don't always talk about in everyday conversation. Give your kids a vocabulary boost by describing what the animals are up to, then ask them for their observations, too. 

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: Baseball Game

If you and your family plan to attend a major or minor league baseball game this summer, this post is for you! Below are four suggestions for literacy activities you can do with your kids in a baseball stadium.

• Talk about the letters of the players’ names when they appear on the Jumbotron. Encourage your child's print awareness and letter recognition skills by talking about the letters in their favorite players' names. If a player happens to share a name with your child, challenge him to look for it each time that player goes up to bat. The jumbotron is also a good place to look for other print material throughout the game, as it is often where birthday messages, advertising, and other information is presented. 
• Explain baseball vocabulary such as strike, ball, hit, run, and out. Toddlers might not understand the rules of baseball just yet, but you can still go over the basic vocabulary. For added fun, have them try to count strikes for each out, and outs for each inning. 
• Encourage your kids to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch. How often do we really have the chance to join in a group sing-along? Don't miss out! To get your kids geared up for this tradition, practice singing the song before the game, or read a picture book version of the song, such as the ones by Ben Nussbaum or Maryann Kovalski.
• Act out the "Five Little Hot Dogs" fingerplay. Whether you actually eat hot dogs at the ballpark or not, this rhyme will get your kids in the spirit of the game! Words for the rhyme can be found here. 

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Campground

Going camping is a favorite summer pastime in many families, and it's a great way to take a break from the stresses of regular everyday life, including technology. Bond with your kids during this screen-free time by sharing some of the following early literacy activities.

• Tell stories around the campfire. Besides eating s'mores, this is the best way to enjoy a campfire. Though it might be traditional to tell spooky stories, if these are too much for your little guys, try telling your own versions of fairy tales, funny stories from your family's own history, or round-robin stories, where each member of the family takes a turn adding to the story. 
• Look up the names of the plants and animals you discover. Borrow or buy a field guide for the region you will be visiting. This will help you identify unfamiliar animals and plants you may encounter at the campsite or on a hiking trail. (This is actually a fun activity to do at home, too. My husband and I still talk about the day a brown thrasher popped out of a neighbor's bush and scared us half to death!) 
• Talk about the names and stories of the constellations. On a clear night, without the light pollution of more heavily populated areas, you might be able to show your kids some of the constellations. Identify the ones you know, and tell their associated myths, then have your child look for his or her own pictures in the stars and make up stories to go along with them. 
• Sing call and response songs on hikes. Though I never went camping as a kid, I did go to Girl Scout day camp, and I can remember singing many call and response songs as we walked the hiking trails. Here are some good ones to get you started: 
• I Met a Bear
• Book-Chick-a-Boom
• Bill Grogan's Goat 
• The Littlest Worm 

For more outdoor early literacy activities, check out my posts about early literacy in The Backyard, The Mud, and The Park.

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Pool

With Memorial Day behind us, it is now officially pool season! Make the most of your pool time with these fun activities which promote early literacy skills. 

• Dive for letters. Label a set of diving sticks with letters - random ones, the letters in your child's name, or the letters in a particular word or phrase - then challenge your kids to collect them in the correct order. 
• Play Water World Simon Says.  This game, suggested by Creative Connections for Kids, is just like regular Simon Says, except that the leader does water-based movements. Start out playing the leader yourself, then pass the role onto the kids and give them a chance to come up with their own motions for the group to do. 
• Make a whirlpool and sing. Choose a song like Ring Around the Rosie, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, or Round and Round the Village and sing it with your kids as you circle around the pool and make a whirlpool.
• Write on the deck/cement with a wet finger. Show your kids how to spell their names and other familiar words on the edge of the pool, or challenge their spelling skills by calling out sight words and seeing who can write them the quickest.  

Early Literacy Around the House: The Backyard

It truly is possible to have fun and learn something at the same time right in your own backyard. Next time you're in the backyard (or at a park with a big yard or field) with your preschoolers and beginning readers, try some of these simple literacy activities.

• Act out verbs. I always use a "bag of verbs" in my beginning reader story times. Each child takes a turn selecting a word from the bag (or basket, or jar, or whatever) and we all act it out together as a group. Doing this activity outside expands the possibilities. Kids can not only sit, stand, and turn around; they can also do a somersault, hop on one foot, run like a rabbit, or kick like a ninja (without hurting anyone else.)
• Put on a skit.  Backyards (and back porches, and front stoops, and driveways...) make excellent stages. Help your kids write or memorize a short skit, and then have them perform it for your family or even some of the neighbors. If you're feeling especially fancy, add costumes, scenery and props made from household objects. 
• Play with a “Magic Ball.” In this game, the leader names an adjective (heavy, sticky, cold, hot, light, etc.) then the children pass a ball around a circle, acting as though that adjective applies to the ball. This is a great way to expand kids' vocabularies to include more interesting describing words. (Credit for this idea goes to Mass Literacy.)
• Play yard games with a verbal component.  Games which involve giving and following directions and asking questions help kids to develop speaking and listening skills, which in turn lead to better reading skills. Here are just a few suggestions, with links to instructions on how to play. 
• Red Rover
• The Farmer in the Dell
• Mother May I?
• Fishy Fishy Cross My Ocean
• What Time is it, Mr. Fox?
• Witch in the Well
• Pies

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Mud

Spring rain showers provide lots of great chances for kids to play in the mud. Use these early literacy activities to supplement your messy play time.

• Write in the mud with a stick. Help your child practice recognizing letters, sight words, or his name by writing in the mud with a stick and asking the child to name what you have written, or challenge your child to write certain letters or words in the mud on his own and see how many he knows.
• Act out the story of Mrs. Wishy Washy. Pretend to be the cow, duck, and pig who play in the mud, then get washed off  by Mrs. Wishy Washy.  This would be an especially great activity for multiple children to enjoy together. (You can also easily do this one inside if you'd rather avoid a muddy mess.)
• Sing a worm song. While they dig and splash in the mud, kids can sing fun songs like Herman the Worm and Nobody Likes Me.
• Make a mud pie. Encourage kids to use mud, leaves, grass, flowers, and anything else found outdoors to build the perfect mud pie. Have them name their ingredients and narrate the process to enhance their creativity and narrative skills.

For more outdoor early literacy fun, check out these ideas for activities to enjoy at the park. 

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Car

Whether the trip you're taking is long or short, the car is the perfect place to have fun with early literacy. Here are some suggestions for making the most of your car rides:

• Look for out-of-state license plates. Encourage your child to look for unfamiliar license plates and to figure out which state is printed on them based on the letters they start with. If you're on an especially long drive, keep a list of all the states you see and challenge your child to be the first to spot one you haven't found yet. 
• Put kids on the lookout for signs.Car trips can seem really long for kids who can't tell time. Break up the trip into kid-friendly segments by having your child watch out for particular signs that you know are coming up on the roadside. Give them clues as to how many letters are in the word they are looking for, or what letter the word starts with and ask them to "help" you by letting you know when they can see the sign. 
• Listen to an audiobook.Listening to a well-produced audiobook is a treat for kids and parents alike. Choose something that will appeal to you and your child and pause now and then for discussion and predictions. This is a great way to work some relaxing reading into your vacations! 
• Play the Alphabet Game. There are many variations on this game, and the one you use will depend on the age of your children. Some play it as a letter hunt, where everyone looks for the letters of the alphabet, in order, on the signs and vehicles they pass. Others choose a category and attempt to name something in that category for each letter of the alphabet. Another possibility is to choose one letter and name as many things as you can that start with it.

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Grocery Store

Trips to the grocery store can seem boring to kids, but sometimes giving them something to do makes the experience more interesting and therefore easier on parents.Here are a few fun ways to practice early literacy skills on your next trip to the supermarket. 

• Have your child cross off your shopping list as you collect items.
  If you have a handwritten shopping list, or even a digital list on your phone, allow your child to read you the items and cross them off as you add them to your shopping cart. This gives them the opportunity to see the words for foods and other household items in print and to see how close you are to being finished at the same time. 
• Point out signs and labels for familiar foods.
  As you shop for the staples of your child's diet, point out the names of these items on the packaging and store signage. Kids will be invested in these words because the foods are well known to them, and they might even recognize the words when you unload the groceries at home. 
• Let child help match coupons to items.
  Have your child help you find the correct coupons to go with some of your items. Show them how the words and pictures on the coupons are clues to which item they belong to.
• Talk about the way the items for sale are categorized on the shelves.
  Help your child learn to categorize his world by discussing the way items are sorted and arranged in the grocery store. Why are milk and cheese often close to one another? Why are sugar, flour, and cake mix all together? Where might you find paper towels? This activity promotes language skills, as well as science and math background knowledge. 

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Movie Theater

Taking preschoolers and elementary schoolers to the movie theater can be a great way to keep them warm and entertained on those cold afternoons during Winter Break. While you're there, try out some of these quick and easy early literacy activities.

• Review size words at the concession stand.Popcorn and soda come in small, medium, large, and even extra large sizes. Point out these words on the menu board, and explain the differences between them. For added fun, connect these concepts to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
• Point out letters and sight words in the preshow reels.Many theaters project celebrity trivia and other information onto their screens even before the previews begin. Help your child find familiar letters and words by playing "I Spy" or another guessing game. See how many words you can read together before the lights go down. 
• Guess at the plots for upcoming releases.Take a look at the posters for forthcoming films and have your child explain to you what is happening in each picture. When you see previews for these movies, your child will find out how close he came to figuring out their storylines. This activity also encourages kids to make predictions based on context clues, which is important for reading comprehension. 
• On the way home, ask your child to recall his favorite parts of the film.By asking your child to tell you about his favorite scenes from the movie, you support his narrative skills. As he describes for you what he remembers about the movie, he is practicing expressing his thoughts in an organized and interesting way. You can help him further by asking leading questions to prompt him to develop his thoughts and explain them clearly. 

Early Literacy Around the House: The Christmas Tree

I normally post about early literacy in everyday places, and I will continue to do so into the new year. Today, however, I'm sharing some early literacy ideas that stick a little bit closer to home and are perfect for families celebrating Christmas this time of year. These are literacy activities inspired by Christmas trees!

• Talk about colors.My one-year-old is completely enthralled with the pre-strung colored lights on our artificial Christmas tree. She points at them all the time, looking for someone to label them for her. I use this as an opportunity to introduce color words. Each time she points to a light, I tell her what color it is, and name some other things that are also that color. She doesn't have many words yet, but she pays such close attention, I can tell she is filing information away for later. 
• Sing Christmas tree songs. There are lots of Christmas tree songs, but the three that come to my mind most often are the traditional O Christmas Tree (or O Tannenbaum), Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, and My Christmas Tree (by John Williams, from the Home Alone 2 Soundtrack). Teach your children to sing these songs as you decorate and enjoy your tree.  
• Tell the stories behind your Christmas ornaments.As you add ornaments to your tree, or even as you admire the ones you have already hung, tell your child the history behind them. I have lots of ornaments I made as a child or received as gifts from family members, and this is a great way to pass some of that history down to the next generation.
• Play ornament I Spy. With preschoolers and older kids, you can practice using adjectives by playing a game of I Spy. Describe an ornament on the tree and have the kids guess which one it is, then ask them to describe an ornament for you to guess. This game also works on public Christmas trees, such as the ones you might see while standing in line to meet Santa, or in places where kids get easily bored, like banks and doctor's offices. 

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: Church

Taking little kids to church can sometimes be a challenge unto itself, but for some kids finding ways to be involved in the Mass or service cuts down on the behavior problems boredom and having to sit still can sometimes create. The following are suggestions for using literacy activities to engage your child in church!

• Let babies watch your mouth during responses and hymns. When my daughter was around five or six months old, she suddenly became very interested not just in the sounds I made but in how my mouth would move as I made them. During Mass, whenever there was a congregational response I would turn her around to face me and often she would just fixate on my mouth, watching each subtle motion. While I was mainly doing this for entertainment purposes, it turns out that lip reading is actually a key part of language development! 
• Provide a kid-friendly copy of readings/books. When I was a kid, my parish provided a children's bulletin every week that included activities related to the readings for that day. I don't like kids to have non-religious books or toys in church because it takes away from the solemn tone of the experience, but having kid-friendly books with bright illustrations and simple vocabulary that show the child what is happening at each point in the Mass help them follow along and give them an understanding of one of the practical applications of reading skills. 
• Sing along. Singing is a key practice for helping kids acquire early literacy skills, and church is a great place to do it! Older kids who are starting to read will especially enjoy being able to look at the music and follow along, watching as the notes break up the words into their smaller parts. Music also makes it easier to memorize certain prayers and Bible passages, so if you're looking to teach those to your kids, the hymns they hear in church will be helpful in that way as well.  
• Take time afterwards to read plaques and other displayed pieces of print. Churches are full of little bits of print - the Stations of the Cross in my childhood church featured simple labels explaining what was happening in each wood-carved image. Some churches have lists of donors on the wall, or of past priests and ministers. Taking some quiet time when the Mass or service is over to explore these signs and plaques is a great way to reinforce print awareness and to learn a little something about your church's history.

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Park

Like many families with small children, mine spends a lot of time at the local park. Though the park is a lot more fun than the elevator, you can still make your time even more fulfilling by sharing some early literacy activities with your child.

• Teach your child the words “stop” and “go.” Little Miss Muffet is still a bit young for most playground equipment, but she loves to swing. To make it an interactive experience, I stop the swing periodically, calling out, “Stop!” and then begin pushing again when I say “Go!” You can also play this game using the ASL signs for stop and go to reinforce their meaning.
  
• Sing on the swings.  There is something about singing and swinging simultaneously that makes both activities more fun. Once you get your child started, don't be surprised if other kids join in and start suggesting songs to add to your repertoire.
  
• Draw letters in the sandbox. Using your finger, or a stick, help your child practice recognizing letters by drawing them in the sand and asking your child to name them. Also encourage your child to write letters - or even his name - on his own. 
  
• Read the playground’s posted rules. Most of the local parks I’ve visited have at least one sign about safe use of the playground. As you enter the park, take a look at this sign. Are there letters or words your child recognizes? Are there new words you might want to learn? Your child will delight in finding familiar pieces of print and may recognize them in other contexts later in the day.

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Elevator

Parents like me who bring their strollers on public transportation spend a lot of time in elevators. For me to go just one stop on the Metro to visit my local library, I have to use a total of five! Luckily, short elevator rides are perfect windows of opportunity for reinforcing early literacy skills. Here are some ideas for early literacy activities you can do with your kids between floors.

• Talk about the letters on the elevator buttons. At the Metro station, we typically encounter four letters: T for Trains, S for Street, M for Mezzanine, and B for the pedestrian Bridge. When I press a button, I usually tell Little Miss Muffet what I’m doing: “Mommy pressed S for street!” As she gets older, I will let her help me decide which letter to press based on beginning letter sounds.
  
• Review the concepts of up and down. Up and down are words that little ones tend to add to their vocabulary very early on, as they help them communicate when they wish to be carried and when they wish to be allowed to walk on their own. When you approach the elevator with your child, think aloud as you decide which button to press. “We’re going down to the mezzanine to buy a fare card.” or “We’re going up to the fourth floor to meet Daddy for lunch.” Remind your child of the meaning of these words by pointing in the corresponding direction. As your child gets older, ask him to point on his own to demonstrate his understanding. 
  
• Read signs. What better way to teach your child about print awareness than to read the signage posted in the elevator? Our local elevators all have printed warnings about the use of bicycles within the Metro system, as well as information about who to call in an emergency. Some of them also have wordless signs to inform riders that smoking is prohibited, or that handicapped access is available. Reading these signs aloud to your children helps them appreciate that words and symbols have meaning, and that reading is helpful and necessary in any and every environment.