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Story School
Story School - Week 3
Welcome to the third week of Story School!
We're so glad you and your child are here to join us for Story School. If you haven't had the chance, be sure to introduce yourself and your child on our Family Learning Space.
Each week, we will focus our learning around specific early literacy and language skills as well as social emotional skills that prepare your child to thrive in school and beyond. We'll have a big message and big question to discuss together. Reflect on the message and question, and then follow the steps below throughout the week.
Our message this week is Books build brains. With every book you open, your child is learning new vocabulary, traveling to fantastic worlds, and learning more about themselves and the love you share. Research shows that sharing books with children builds connections in their brains, as well as their curiosity and love of learning. Our question is What do books mean to your family?
Our message this week
Books
build
brains.
Our question this week
What do books
mean to your
family?
Step 1: Watch the Story Lesson
Step 2: Join our Live Learning Group
Check your email for the exact time and date, as well as a link, for your group's online Story Hour.
Step 3: Homework on the
Make Way for Books App
This week, we’re learning all about how books and stories are a great way to build your child’s brain. Your homework is to create a book together. You are authors and illustrators!
Continue learning with the Make Way for Books App. Here are our suggestions for the week. Don’t forget to follow your child’s interests and explore, mix and match, and most of all, have fun learning!
If you don't have the app yet, you can download it now!
Read Now on the app!
Bedtime reading routine
Do
Snuggle up and read a book together as part of your child's daily bedtime routine. You can establish a nightly routine such as:
-
Put on your pajamas
-
Brush your teeth
-
Read a book together
-
Go to sleep
Once you establish a routine, you will see your child anticipating and looking forward to the next step!
What your child is learning
Children love and crave routines, so it is important to establish a bedtime routine. Routines help your child feel secure. They also help your child learn self control and can reduce power struggles, which can be especially important if she has a hard time going to bed. Your child will also develop cognitively because she will anticipating what is coming next. Adding a book to her nightly bedtime routine will help grow her brain and strengthen your relationship even more!
If You're Happy and You Know It
Do
Sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" to guide you into exploring other emotions with your child. Talk to your child about the different emotions that they experience. Explore ways that we react to our emotions. Are these rections healthy or unhealthy? Explore healthy ways to cope with our emotions and then incorporate them into the song.
"If you're angry and you know it take a deep breath.
If you're angry and you know it take a deep breath.
If you're angry and you know it then your face with surely show it.
If you're angry and you know it take a deep breath."
What your child is learning
Singing and dancing are learning! By singing and dancing with your child, you are helping them develop important literacy, language, social-emotional, and motor skills. Music introduces your child to the new sounds and meanings of words and fosters comprehension skills as lyrics, rhythms, and movements are repeated.
Books in the car
Do
Keep a bag of books in the car for your toddler to look at while you are driving. You can check them out of your nearest library branch and bring some favorites from home. Give them one or two to hold as they sit in their car seat. Have your child tell you what they see in the pictures. If it’s a familiar story, they may tell it to you in their own words or you and your child can tell the story together while you are driving!
What your child is learning
- To manage feelings with adult support
- To turn pages and look at books
- To talk about books
Step 4: Keep track of your child's learning
As you complete each activity or read a book together, your child is learning and gaining important early reading skills! Be sure to mark each activity and book "done" to add them to your child's learning journal in the app and keep track of their growth!
First, make sure to add a child in the app's settings page. When you mark a book or activity done, you will see a screen the one on the left that will give you the option to add it to your child's learning journal. Add a note, new vocabulary words, and a picture!
Step 5: Reflect and connect with families
What did you learn this week?
Join us on our Family Learning Space to post your pictures and videos and to connect with other Story School parents and caregivers.
We want to hear from you! Use the our Family Learning Space to share your thoughts, talk about your experiences, and ask questions!