Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in silicon valley, CA

For today's expert post, instead asking a guest to write about his or her topic of expertise, I'm featuring highlights from a great educational discussion I attended a couple of weeks ago.  I listened to Dr. Anne Cunningham of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education speak on helping children learn (and love) to read. Since I have two preschoolers, I soaked in every word -- and I'd like to share it with all you Savvy parents out there.

I learned that developing preliteracy skills in very young children has a profound effect on their learning experiences in kindergarten, first grade, and beyond.   That doesn't mean your child has to be reading ten-letter words, or even reading c-v-c* words by age 5.  But if your child can reach the following milestones before entering the public education system: 

* recognizing letters
* recognizing letter sounds (phonics)
* recognizing alliteration ("boy" and "bat" start with the same letter) and rhyme ("bat" and "cat" rhyme)
* recognizing words (for example, realizing that the phrase "Do not" consists of two words, not one)

... he or she will have a much easier time making that jump to reading. Acquiring these early literacy skills means that your child will be in the best position possible to take advantage of the educational opportunities in kindergarten and beyond.

Dr. Cunningham discussed two key things that every parent can do to help their young children acquire early literary skills:

1)  Bathe your child in high-quality language.
The benefits of exposing your child to rich, varied, complex language cannot be overstated.  When a child has an extensive vocabulary, it will be less likely that he needs to struggle with meaning when presented with a word to read; his mind can move on to focusing on the rhythm, rhyme and structure of the word -- all important keys to learning how to read.

So talk, talk, talk to your child, at every chance you get.  Introduce new words.  Don't wait for her to ask "Why".  Discuss what you're doing when you're crusing the grocery aisles ("This is the organic product aisle.  The fruit looks the same as the fruit on the other side, but the farmer who grew this fruit didn't spray any chemical pesticides on it").  Blather on when you're driving around in the car. 

2)  Read out loud to your child, every single day.
Most people already know the benefits of reading aloud to a child, but Dr. Cunningham gave me a new perspective on how our nighly bedtime stories can benefit our kids.   Simply put, reading out loud is the perfect complement to your own speech.  After all, not everyone can chatter on to their kids for hours on end.  And spoken language tends to be more limited than written language.  Reading books out loud literally puts words in your mouth, and expands your child's exposure to rich, varied language. 

Dr. Cunningham also offered some great tips and words of advice to maximize those benefits:

* Vary your reading material in order to expose your child to many different forms of language.  Reading poetry, in particular, exposes children to the rhythm, rhyme and structure of language. 

* If your child cannot sit still for long periods of time, allow him some freedom of movement: let him sprawl on the floor beneath you with a toy car, or doodle on a piece of paper.  Or give him something to work with in his hand -- some children think and absorb ideas best when they are working with manipulatives (such as a squishy ball or a lump of clay).  It may not look like it, but they are still absorbing every word you say.

* If you're in danger of losing your voice, it's alright to call in the "substitutes" -- books on tape, books on cd, or read-aloud books like The LeapFrog Company's' LeapPad or Tag.  The important thing is to get your child exposed to language spoken out loud.

* Read to your child even after he or she has already learned how to read.  It builds their vocabulary, listening and comprehension skills.  Reading out loud to them at a notch or two above their current level expands their vocabulary.