Time off for the holidays? Many of us will be sharing kindness, embracing our loved ones, and making lasting memories. This is an exciting time of the year for children and there are lots of ways to include literacy into the FUN!
Spending time together can often include reading and storytelling. Try to find opportunities during the winter break to read together. Visit your local public library for books on holidays you celebrate. Our library has a big selection of books. Check out books on holidays that are celebrated around the world.
Here are other early literacy activities your family can do over the winter break.
Come up with a list of “common” holiday words.
Get your flashlight, pillow, and blanket. Read your books under the covers.
Create a calendar of how many books you have read during the winter break.
Have fun with crayons, pens, and paper. Use scratch paper and thick crayons, pencils, and pens for fun doodling and scribbling time. This is great for fine motor skills! Ask children to:
Draw a picture of you and them
Write what they want to eat
Be curious about what they draw – ask them to show you more!
Play alphabet games with toys you have at home.
Name the first letter of each toy and write it on a card.
Pick a letter card and have your child bring you toys that start with that letter.
Singing the ABC song while you move from one activity to the next:
Change the words, be silly, have fun!
Waiting for dinner to be served
Washing hands or changing clothes
Cleaning up toys
Getting in the car
Make a family book: collect family pictures to create your own book.
How words can be put together to communicate ideas and information leads to comprehension; talking with children is especially good at helping them think. Ensure your child can speak with you, not just listen to you talk. Respond to what your child says and follow their lead. Answer your child’s questions as completely as possible. Your explanations help your child learn more about the world.
If your child isn’t talking, ask questions, wait for them to react with a gesture or by babbling, and then give feedback, such as, “Yes, the two bunnies are chasing each other.” Ask your toddler to tell you about something that happened to them today; ask for more details so your child can expand on the story. Ask questions with more than a “yes” or “no” answer. This encourages your child to think about possible solutions and to ask more questions. It increases comprehension skills.
Use new words. Good readers have a large vocabulary. Knowing lots of words helps children better understand what they read. Begin early, even before your children learn to talk. Take turns. Children are just beginning to learn how to have a conversation. You need to ask questions and listen to your children’s responses. Make connections. Help children remember past events and connect them to current and future activities. It helps children understand that language can represent events that are not happening now.
Join our summer reading program open to all ages. Sign up!
Do you know about our Dial-A-Story? Call and listen to a story while on the go, waiting, or walking. Stories are available in English and Spanish. 530-298-9990.
For many immigrants, like me, who come from provinces or small towns, discovering the library is an experience like no other. I remember as if it were yesterday the aroma of a new book. The amazement I felt while doing a search on a library computer (so simple compared to the tablet I now use). The multitude of books within reach, the access to technology, and programs for all ages – my amazement has been and continues to be the fact that this infinite knowledge can be accessed at no cost in a library. That is why today, with great pride and gusto, I share with you a list of free programs and resources available to you in our libraries.
Ready Rosie
Sign up for this virtual newsletter to learn with short family videos. The videos are available in English and Spanish.
Launchpad Tablets
Did you know that you can take home a learning tablet for 3 weeks? Stop by your library today to check one out with your library card.
Bilingual Storytime
We accompany them to listen to stories, sing songs, and do crafts in person or virtually. Click here to see the calendar of events at your nearest library.
Call (530)298-9990 to listen to a story in English or Spanish.
English Conversation Group
Join this virtual group to chat in English with other members of the community. To join this learning community (for people 18 and over), contact Nancy Pacheco at nancy.pacheco@yolocounty.org or phone number 530-666-8019.
Bilingual Backpacks
Take one of our bilingual backpacks home today for three weeks to enjoy with your family. Each of our backpacks contains different themes with books in Spanish and English and fun crafts to enjoy as a family.
Storytime Kits
These kits contain several books in English in Spanish as well as toys for your little one to enjoy.
DVD Movies
Enjoy your favorite movies in Spanish or English as a family. The popular Disney movie Encanto is now available in our collection. Watch this video to learn how to put a hold on this and get on the waiting list.
E-books and Audiobooks
Download the Libby and Overdrive apps with your library account to read books on your tablet or to listen to audiobooks on any device.
Books on CD/ Books with CDs
Listen to your favorite book on CD like Harry Potter for hours without reading a word. Listen and read together with a book/CD combination that you find in the classic tale of Strega Nona. Stop by your local library to see our collection of books on CD or books with CDs.
TAGS: Library, Events, Kits, Audiobooks, eBooks, Books on CD, Early Literacy, Resources
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Free access to The New York Times Online for 72 hours. Click on the “REDEEM” button. Then create an account or log in with your email address and password. For more information, please watch the short videos which can be found on the Research page. If you have questions about accessing the NYT, please contact NYT@library.ca.gov.
Find your next great read. Learn more about books and genres you like with Novelist Plus.
We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory and homelands of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. For more information, please go to: www.yochadehe.gov
Featuring great books and exploring topics important to families, this page will make learning together interesting and fun.
