A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

For children ages 3 to 6

Books that have no words, just beautiful pictures, invite you and your child to use your imagination and make up your own stories.

Try To Find

• Wordless picture books (Example: Do You Want To Be My Friend? by Eric Carle. See Resources.)
• Old magazines
• Safety scissors
• Construction paper

What To Do

The first activities in the list below work well with younger children.

As your child grows older, the later activities let her do more. But keep doing the first ones as long as she enjoys them.

	Look through the whole book with your child. Ask her what she thinks the story is about. Tell the story together by talking about each page as you both see it.
	Ask your child to identify objects, animals, or people on each page. Talk with her about them and ask her if they are like real life.
	Have your child tell another child or family member a story using a wordless picture book. Doing this will make her feel like a "reader" and will encourage her to continue learning to read.
	Have your child create her own picture book with her drawings or pictures you help her cut from magazines.

Parent Pointer:

Using wordless picture books can help improve children's language and spark their imagination.

Rhyme with Me: It's Fun, You'll See!

For children ages 3 to 6

Rhyming helps children to connect letters with sounds.

Try To Find

• Books with rhyming words, games, or songs

What To Do

The first activities in the list below work well with younger children. As your child grows older, the later activities let him do more. But keep doing the first ones as long as he enjoys them.

	Play rhyming games and sing rhyming songs with your child. Many include hand clapping, playing with balls, and playing in groups.
	Read rhymes to your child. When reading a familiar one, stop before a rhyming word and encourage your child to fill in the rhyme. When he does, praise him.
	Listen for rhymes in songs you know or hear on the radio, TV, at family or other gatherings, and sing them with your child.
	Encourage your child to play rhyming games on a computer, if one is available. (Learning with Computers. Also see Resources for computer game suggestions.)

Children around the world have fun with rhyming games and songs. Here are a few rhyming books to look for: Shake It to the One That You Love the Best: Play Songs and Lullabies from Black Musical Traditions by Cheryl Warren Mattox; Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young by Jack Prelutsky; Diez Deditos: 10 Little Fingers and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America by Jose-Luis Orozco; and My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie. See Resources for more ideas.