How to Encourage Your Preschool Child Read More at Home

Reading is one of the most valuable skills your preschool daughter will have. Her teachers are helping her read at school, but it is also important for you to encourage reading at home as well. Kids spend more time at home than at school, and opportunities to read can be found almost anywhere you look. Here are some great ideas you can use to assist your daughter in developing a love for words and reading.

Be A Good Example

One very effective way to get Montessori preschool children to read is to let them see-- and hear-- you reading. Make it a habit to read books and magazines, read recipes aloud as you prepare them, and use every opportunity to demonstrate to your daughter that words are important. 

Read  Along

Read with your children, taking the time to examine each page, and talking about the action depicted. This helps children develop critical thinking, builds a strong vocabulary, and helps small kids learn more about themselves and the world. Reading aloud to children is beneficial for kids with verbal challenges as well, because it allows the child to see up close how the mouth moves when words are pronounced.

Provide A Variety

Reading preferences are different from one child to another and children will learn at different paces. Fill the lower bookcase shelves with a variety of age-appropriate books and give your daughter the freedom to choose which ones she likes best. Don't hesitate to go a couple of years older with the material, but concentrate on books with short words, rhymes, and exciting subjects. In addition to children's books, try including a couple of pictorial tomes on nature, animals, and the like.

Word-A-Day

Make a game out of learning a new word every day. You can do this by setting up an erasable whiteboard and using appropriate markers. Choosing the word can be done any way you wish, or simply open a dictionary with your eyes closed and place your finger on the page. With your daughter, practice saying the word, then write it in her journal and talk about what it means and how it should be used in conversation. This provides an important link between printed words and spoken language.

Printed writing has been the way people have kept records for thousands of years, and was done using pictures instead of words even before that. The art of writing is even more important today, and the success of every school student relies on developing strong reading skills and comprehension. 

5 Fun Christmas Party Food Ideas for Daycare

Every Christmas event is a great reason for tasty snacks, and daycare children enjoy helping prepare holiday dishes. These 5 ideas are easy to make, delicious to eat, and excellent ideas for Montessori-styled practical life experiences.

1. Appetizing Ambrosia

Fruity ambrosia is fun to make, and easy enough that Montessori daycare children can put the recipe together. The 2 basic ingredients are a can of mixed fruit and a tub of whipped cream. Just pour the ingredients into a bowl and stir until they are well-mixed. You can make the recipe more expansive-- and help children develop practical experience-- by adding fresh sliced bananas, apples, and segmented citrus fruits. To give the mixture a tropical feel, add shredded coconut and a little pineapple.

2. Popcorn Garlands

Heavy thread, a small crochet needle, and bowls of multicolored popcorn are all you need to create decorative garlands with snack appeal. There are a couple of ways to dye the corn while cooking it, but you can simply spray popped kernels with a water bottle if the garland is strictly decorative. Crochet needles are large enough for the older preschool students to grasp, making it simple to thread the kernels into a ropelike garland.

3. Daycare Hors D'oeuvres

This tasty treat is simple. Arrange crackers on a platter-- or individual dishes-- and stack cut meats, cheeses, and vegetables to suit. A sliced boiled egg or tomato slices can really liven up the appearance. Another fun finger food is to fill segments of celery with peanut butter, cream cheese, onion dip, or other tasty fillings.

4. No-Bake Cookies

No-bake peanut butter and oatmeal cookies make a simple sweet treat. An adult needs to handle the stovetop cooking, but the kids can still help with measuring and then spooning out the cookie dough. You can also add things like chopped nuts or butterscotch morsels for a little extra indulgence.

5. Veggie Trays

Veggie trays are exactly what they sound like. Sliced carrots, green peppers, cucumbers, and steamed vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli make a colorful, nutritious snack that children can wash, cut, and lay out. Small cups with "sauces" like ranch dressing or honey mustard-- or even honey by itself-- are great to add a little spark to each slice.

Holiday food activities offer children a wide assortment of developmental opportunities. Counting and sorting, language and vocabulary, and practical skills like measuring and cutting are all common tasks in the kitchen. Every dish is a classroom adventure and the resulting snacks and treats are a wonderful incentive to keep children engaged.