Newswise — Make this holiday season especially close and fun with your child without spending more time or money. The National Center for Family Literacy has an interactive online tool that shows parents ways to transform routine daily activities like meal preparation and bath time into rich learning experiences for their children. It’s simple. It’s fun. It’s free. “All parents want to help their children learn,” NCFL Vice President Emily Kirkpatrick said. “But time and money are often scarce resources that keep parents from doing everything they can for their children. Don’t add new tasks to your long list. Instead, make simple changes to how you do those that will have a big pay-off for your child.” Let your child hear many words—keep your child close by and describe what you are doing. And by helping in small ways, your child learns new words and important skills. An added bonus is that when involved and receiving your attention, your child is engaged and less likely to misbehave.
A 2008 national poll found that parents put balancing work and family on par with the economic downturn as the source of their greatest day-to-day worries. And those concerns are valid.
Research shows that parents boost children’s reading acquisition, including:* Children exposed to more spoken words earlier in life demonstrate richer vocabulary and early acquisition of literacy skills.* Learning climate of the home positively impacts children’s school readiness and language skills.* The positive way parents interact with their children in the home helps children’s literacy development.
Log on to http://www.famlit.org/activities/house and bring literacy home.
The National Center for Family Literacy is the worldwide leader in family literacy. More than 1 million families have made positive educational and economic gains as a result of NCFL’s work, which includes training more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers. For more information, visit www.famlit.org.
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