From our readers: Abby K’s Photo Family Tree

Abby K's photo family tree

Our May 1, 2009 post was about how to build a Photo Family Tree. Here’s one reader’s finished project! Abby K. (3.5 years old) is proudly sharing her Photo Family Tree that she made with a little help from her mom. Great job, Abby! Thanks so much for sharing the photo with us!

TIPS from Abby’s mom:

One – unless you have a really huge family and/or huge pictures, use a smaller poster, maybe 2/3 or 1/2 of full size
two – maybe use the foam board stuff instead of standard poster board

Both will make for easier hanging and/or storing.  Ours turned out a tad big to easily find a place to display

Thanks, Jessica!!

Getting to know you! Photo albums for kids

If you dig around in those boxes in the back of the closet, you’re almost guaranteed to come across some old 4×6 photo albums and that stack of holiday photo cards (& birth announcements) that you couldn’t bear to throw away. Pull those goodies out and dust them off… I have a project for you! There’s that old saying:  “Out of sight is out of mind.” Well, don’t let those loved ones be out of your child’s mind. Put those photos to good use!

Start by organizing the photo cards into categories — family, playgroup friends, neighborhood friends, friends that live far away, etc.

For your very young child, cut the photo cards so that they’ll fit in the photo album. If your child is 3 or older, I encourage you to draw a line on the card where you’d like your child to cut, and hand the safety scissors over to those little (and likely very eager) hands.

Use blank address labels or small pieces of masking tape to label the FRONT of each photo with the names of everyone in the photo. Use clear, block letters so that your child may (or may someday) read the names.

Slide the photos into the sleeves of the album, maintaining the logical order you’ve established.

Read through the photo album frequently with your child, and encourage him or her to “read” it to you. Keep it somewhere accessible for your little one to browse through whenever he or she desires.

You’ll be amazed how much this book will help your child to be comfortable with your friends and family who live far away when you’re all together for those short, infrequent visits. He or she will also start to recognize names, and you can guide your child in sounding out the names.

So, here’s a way to consider the value of this project:

• That old photo album: $2.99 ten years ago
• Those holiday photo cards everyone else sent to you: free to you, but a lot of $$ to them
• The look on Great Aunt So&so’s face when your child seems genuinely happy to see her in person for the first time: priceless!

Get your groove on!

Have you ever watched your child’s reaction to music when he/she doesn’t realize you’re watching? You’ll probably notice him/her moving to the beat. Why not join in on the fun?

As young as possible, turn on the radio, pick up your little one and dance! You can sway, gently bounce, do the junior-high-slow-dance rock back and forth, two step, waltz, salsa, or any other moves you can think of that you can do while safely holding your baby.

Not only will you have a blast with your child, you’ll get his or her body moving to the beat… and beats are, after all, rhythmic counts. If you’re not out of breath, count the beats aloud!

Before you know it, your child will be asking YOU to dance, and you’ll have great memories to look back on the next time you hear your favorite song.

Asking nicely

Young children, by nature, are very self-centered. Their world is all about “me.” This is obvious as they move through the “me,” “mine,” and “I want!” stages. Help your child to learn how to more politely interact by mirroring back what you would like your child to say. It is amazing how much this can make a difference!

It is important for your child to understand what your family’s expectations are for treating other people, including how he/she treats you, the adult. As young as possible, when your child points at what he/she wants, repeat back, in a pleasant voice, “Mom, may I please have that?”  You may think your child is too young to understand, but, believe me, this works wonders.

When your child reaches the, “I want that!” stage, continue repeating back the phrase. You know your child best, so I can’t tell you the exact age at which to expect your child to repeat you, but for us it started in the late 2′s.

Now, at 3.5 years, when my son says, “I want,” I repeat back, in a nice voice, “May I please…” He immediately rephrases his demand to a request, and says, “Mom/Dad, may I please…”

It is amazing what a difference this makes in our household. Our children are learning manners, and it is so much nicer to respond to a request than a demand!

Don’t trash those grocery store ads!

If you don’t already, hold on to those grocery store ads that come in the mail and newspaper this week! Enlist your little one to help you plan your grocery shopping. The ads are full of pictures of the items on sale, and each is labeled with the name of the item. This is an instant word book!

Hand your child a washable marker and ask him/her to circle the items you need to buy that week. Working together, you can identify the products by picture and by name, and also work in conversations about decision making. For example, if your kiddo circles something that is laden with unhealthy fats and sugars, you might ask, “Is that nutritious? Does that help our bodies grow? Does it help build bones and muscle?” Then, work together to find a healthier alternative — or maybe you already have a better alternative in your pantry or refrigerator. Also, if your little one suggests something that you already have plenty of at home, you could ask your child if you really need more of it. Get those little gears moving in his/her brain. You’ll be amazed at how smart your child is!

As for building the shopping list you take to the store, consider spending the extra 15 minutes to either help your child write down (by copying) the words from the ad, or perhaps your child could draw the items. If you’ve introduced child-safe scissors already, get them out (and that beloved glue stick too) and ask your child to cut out the items you’ve agreed upon and glue them onto a list.

When you both arrive at the grocery store with your lists — yours with everything included and your child’s with the items from the ad — lay down the ground rules for the expedition… Only buy things that are on the list. Cross off each item as you find it. Stay within arm’s reach of Mom/Dad the entire time. Of course, add in anything else that works for your family!

I find that if I involve my 3.5-yr-old in helping to plan the grocery list based on what’s on sale, he’s much more cooperative at the store. You’ll thank yourself, and the other shoppers will appreciate it too. 

Feed Your Brain! Summer Reading Program

We all know that the more kids are read to, the better readers they will be! Why not make this summer a time to dedicate to reading with your child at least 15 minutes a day? Here’s an extra incentive — Half Price Books’ annual Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program starts up on June 1, 2009. Download their reading log, and keep track of how many minutes your child reads or is read to each day. Turn in your child’s completed log weekly through July 31, and your child will receive a $3 gift card to Half Price Books each week! If you can convince your little one to save those gift cards, he/she will have quite a stockpile at the end of the summer. If the cards are just burning a hole in his/her pocket, you may want to consider heading toward the kids’ section of the store to see which of the hundreds of books appeal to your child. If you’re new to shopping at Half Price Books, you’ll be amazed at their prices — $3 can go a long way!

To get you started, stop by Half Price Books this long holiday weekend to enjoy an extra 20% off EVERYTHING. Thursday – Monday, May 21 – 25 is a great time to pick up that first book to kick off your summer of reading.

Find a Half Price Books near you.

Pointing isn’t always rude!

When you read a picture book aloud to your young child, you may naturally point at the pictures and identify what you see. This is a GREAT pre-reading technique! It is never too early to start this.

When your child is an infant, start with the most basic books that have one item on each page. Point to each item, and say what it is. Point to the word below the item, and say it again. Next, point to the item on the facing page, name it aloud and read the word below, then turn the page.

This may seem like a completely obvious activity to do, but it really does have fabulous value. It teaches your little one that we read from left to right in the English language (and in Spanish too), that our books are oriented left to right, and that the word and the item mean the same thing.

Before you know it, your child will be sitting on the floor, surrounded by books of his/her choosing, and pointing at the pictures as he/she “reads” the books! What an exciting sight this will be!

Go to the museum – for FREE!

Yes, that’s right! Many museums offer free admission, and there’s a great site that lists many of them across the country! If you pack a lunch and picnic outside, the only expense you’ll incur is the gas to get you there. With summer coming up, this is a great time to check out the free museums in your area and keep cool. You may want to print a list of the museums in your area, and ask your child to help you plan an adventure. Talk about what each of the museums might have, and visit their websites together. Plan a date to go, and put it on the calendar!

Muffin math

The other morning my son and I made muffins for breakfast. He always wants to help, so I handed him the container of muffin liners and the muffin tin and let him go to town. Suddenly, it dawned on me that this was a great opportunity for adding and subtracting, without him even realizing it!

He was mid-way through filling the tin with liners, and I asked him to stop for a minute. First, we counted how many liners he’d already put in, then counted how many he still needed to do. Next, we counted how many total muffins we could make (12)… So, liners in + cups to be filled = 12.

Now, what happens if we take one of those liners out? How many liners are in place? How many still need to be filled? Hmm… those two new numbers still equal 12.

Measuring up

Ready for a secret? All you need to keep your 2.5-5 year old entertained for a LONG time is a retractable fabric (or vinyl) measuring tape! My son received a real metal one with a gift, but that one retracts too quickly and can easily cut those little hands that don’t know to be out of the way, so that one now lives in the garage. However, the measuring tape that I keep with  my sewing supplies is a much safer substitute… and worth at least 15 minutes of fun all on his own!

If your little one doesn’t already know the magic of pulling out the tape, then pushing the “magic” button to make it retract, be sure to show him/her that first. This may be enough fun for the first go-round with the measuring tape!

Once your child is comfortable with how it works, let him/her play with it to “measure” things on his/her own. Ask your child how long his/her favorite toy is, or how tall his/her favorite chair is. Work together to discover how long his/her arm is, and how tall he/she is (doing this in front of a full-length mirror makes it a lot more concrete for young minds, and gives an opportunity to make some great funny faces while you’re at it).

This is a great chance to talk about numbers, recognize numbers, talk about what “half” means, compare numbers, etc.

You may even want to enlist your new measuring expert to “help” you determine if a piece of furniture or a toy will fit in a certain designated space. Ask your child to measure the item, then measure the space. Write down the numbers. Which one is bigger? Will it fit? If your child answers incorrectly, let him/her see if the item will fit by him/herself.