User login
Recommendations
If you’re searching for ways to build your child’s love of books and reading you’ll want to bookmark the Web site of the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit literacy organization, Reading is Fundamental. This award-winning Web site offers engaging, clear, and comprehensive content about literacy for families. Whether you have a young baby, a toddler or an older child, you’ll find something of interest here, ranging from practical suggestions for reading aloud to ideas for age-appropriate literacy experiences and games. There are parent articles, booklists, a newsletter, seasonal activities, videos, and Web links.
Be sure to visit RIF’s new Leading to Reading section, especially Information for Grown-Ups with its videos and articles. Although Leading to Reading also has charming animation and activities for your young child to click on, you may want to use these as resources for yourself and save “screen time” for when your baby or toddler is older. As David Elkind points out in his recent book, The Power of Play, there may be risks, cognitive, physical and emotional, to computer use in infancy. Besides, a story or a game enjoyed with a loved and responsive grown-up means more to a baby or toddler than the same activity on a computer screen.
That said, the Babies and Toddlers tab of RIF’s Leading to Reading offers a wealth of traditional nursery rhymes and entertaining fingerplays for parents. With videos of the actions and printed and spoken words all in one place, you can quickly learn a new verse or game to play with your baby.
Reviewed by Sally Nurss, M.Ed.
