Hello Parents!
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The aim of our site is to provide you with some useful tools for book-based play. If you already know how important playing is and just want to dive straight into some activities that encourage learning through book activities, then head straight to the book activity pages by clicking one of the buttons below. If you want to learn a bit more about early learning skills, please keep reading!
This site is built on the idea that "play is the work of the child". This was originally stated by Maria Montessori and there is much research to support it. I am not a Montessori trained teacher but I love the methods and certainly agree with this main concept.
Babies, toddlers, preschoolers and even kindergarten age children all learn best through play and exploration. There are numerous studies and papers on this topic. I recommend reading this straight forward article HERE. For a more thorough look at benefits of play, I suggest heading to this article HERE. The author explores both the importance of playing and the different stages of play, as well giving examples of sensory, pretend/dramatic, constructive, outdoor/physical and creative play. 
"Why Playtime is an Essential Part of Early Childhood Development"
by Jenny Silverstone
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What are 'early literacy skills'? That depends on who you talk to. The Colorado Library website has a nice description you can read HERE, but for me it is even simpler than that. I believe that developing a love of reading, at a young age, is the key. So how exactly do you do that?
READ!
Read aloud. Read from birth. Read often.
Read together. Read everywhere.
Read aloud. Read from birth. Read often.
Read together. Read everywhere.
Research shows that children who read for pleasure have an advantage (in future educational outcomes) that is, "four times greater than the advantage children gained from having a parent with a university degree." Read more from this study HERE. That means that fostering a love of reading can help combat some of the social barriers holding many children back. Just by developing a love of reading and connection with books. I find that fact incredibly important!
Another good article about the long term benefit of shared book reading is HERE.
The main aim of this website is to give parents ideas for getting children to explore books beyond what is on the page - through play. To have children interact with stories and characters - through play. To make stories come alive - through play! So what does that actually look like? Now is the time to click on any of our book activity pages and start playing. Or you can keep reading below where I will outline how you can 'play' with ANY story book.
Another good article about the long term benefit of shared book reading is HERE.
The main aim of this website is to give parents ideas for getting children to explore books beyond what is on the page - through play. To have children interact with stories and characters - through play. To make stories come alive - through play! So what does that actually look like? Now is the time to click on any of our book activity pages and start playing. Or you can keep reading below where I will outline how you can 'play' with ANY story book.
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Grab a book!
Choose a book your child enjoys. It could be one they've read a million times or a new one from the library that they clearly enjoyed. Think about the main point of the story. It might be simple and straight forward, like going to bed or working as a team (I'm thinking of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site). It might be a bit deeper, such as mindfulness or being a good friend. |
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Think about fun
Use the theme, the moral of the story or the characters and think about a way to make the book interactive. If your child enjoys art, you might do an art project using images from the story or build something from it. Do they enjoy dressing up? Try making a costume based on the characters. Have you got any toys linked to the story? Throw them in a sensory bin with ice or foam or rice. Want to practice the alphabet? Find an alphabet toy and mix it together with an element from the story. The possibilities really are endless. |
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Read together
Be sure to pick a good time of day (probably not bedtime! Try a weekend morning perhaps). Now read the story again, together. Go slowly. Talk about what your child sees on the pages. Answer their questions. Ask questions. Talk about feelings. Relate to the characters. Compare things to your own life. You don't have to do all of this at once! |
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Now let's play!
Present an activity to your child. It's great for young ones to just explore on their own, without too much intervention from you. If you can, wait until they ask you a question. They can really learn so much on their own! If you want to help reinforce some learning, you can repeat vocabulary they say as they play. Commenting on what they are doing is great too, "You found the triangle!" or "I like the colours your chose for your picture!". |
If you are interested in helping support your child in learning to read using the phonics system, click HERE.
To keep up with each of our new book related activities, why not follow us on one of our social media accounts?
To keep up with each of our new book related activities, why not follow us on one of our social media accounts?
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