Tag: literacy
In our electronic world, everyone can be a writer. From blogs to Facebook posts to tweets, there’s a place for everyone who has access to the internet to publicly express themselves. But does everyone do it well? No, hardly. Chances are you’ve cringed at a Facebook post or email riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. […]
When you hear of parents and children reading together, you almost always picture a mom or dad with a toddler on their lap enjoying a book with pictures or rhymes, à la Dr. Seuss. We know early reading helps young children master the language, improve concentration, and strengthen speech and logical thinking skills – all […]
“Dis is cumbersome,” our son said to no one in particular as he sauntered through the living room carrying a toy. My husband stopped in his tracks, surprised by what had come from the boy’s mouth. It was a fairly sophisticated word for a – barely – 3-year-old. “It’s cumbersome? What does cumbersome mean?” my […]
A new study suggests talking to babies and toddlers in full sentences is the best way to boost language development. The study, conducted by Stanford University Associate Professor Anne Fernald, showed that children whose parents talked to them, rather than at them, developed better language skills at a younger age. Children who were exposed to […]
It’s a serious problem. Every year, nearly one-third of high school students across the nation will not graduate – that’s more than 1.2 million students a year. In New York State, the numbers are better, with 74 percent of students graduating. But those numbers aren’t nearly good enough, not for the children whose opportunities are […]
If your child is heading to school for the first time – or moving to a new school to start kindergarten – you may have some anxiety about whether they can “keep up” academically, socially and emotionally with the other kids. Use these final weeks of summer to reinforce, and even enhance, the skills they […]
Whether it’s reading aloud to your child, taking a trip together to the library or being a reading role model, celebrate National Family Literacy Month this November by helping to foster your child’s love of the written word. Parents who read to their children every day and talk about what they are reading together promote […]
With little more than a month left in the school year, kids are starting to realize summer is on the horizon. Before they check out completely, take time to check in on whether they’re at grade level academically. If they are lagging behind, there’s still plenty of time to buckle down and help them bolster […]