2 chances at early childhood literacy today

We have 2 programs available today that both focus on early childhood literacy.

The first is CRDL Music & Movement @ 10:15am at Veterans Memorial Library in Mt. Pleasant

Sing and dance with your child! Wave some ribbons, play with scarves, tap some rhythm sticks, and shake some shaker eggs. What do music and paper plates have in common? Find out! Let your inner child come out and play as you help your child develop the ability to learn! Children are born with the ability to respond to music and sound. That means that before a child learns to speak, they connect with song and sound. Active participation in musical activities alters the anatomy of the brain. Early musical experiences intensify the development of interconnections between brain cells (neuronal synapses). Essentially, early musical experiences enhance a child’s ability to think, learn, reason and create.

For music to have a profound effect on brain development, a child must physically engage in musical activities. They need to feel, make, hear, and memorize sounds and patterns; they need to sing, clap, dance, and remember movements. Musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language.

- Young children with developed rhythm skills perform better academically.
- Music is now being recognized as a form of intelligence, not just a manifestation of it.
- Music enhances brain development
- Music improves your child’s memory, problem solving techniques, understanding and recollection
- Dancing, clapping and other choreographed physical movements develops a child’s fine and gross motor skills
- Music aids language development

The second is CRDL Storytime at 11am at Faith Johnston Memorial Library in Rosebush

Early literacy is what children know about reading before they can actually read and write. Research shows that children get ready to read years before they start school. You can help your child learn important skills now so they can become great readers.Six pre-reading skills you child can start learning from birth are:

1. Narrative skills – Being able to describe things and events and tell stories
2. Print motivation – Being interested in and enjoying books
3. Vocabulary – Knowing the names of things
4. Phonological awareness – Being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words
5. Letter knowledge – Knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds and recognizing letters everywhere
6. Print awareness - Noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and knowing how to follow the words on a page

During CRDL Storytime, we pick one or two of the “six pre-reading skills” and put together a series of stories, music and activities designed to develop those particular skills. While we can’t focus on all six skills at once, we make it a priority to spotlight at least one or two of the skills at each CRDL Storytime and give parents ideas of how to work on developing those skills at home.