Still4Hill

The Benefits of Reading Aloud to Children

Reading aloud to children from birth has many benefits for both parents and children—and can be great fun!  No matter how young, children can learn a lot when they are read to, and benefit a great deal from the cuddling and bonding that accompanies a reading session. In addition, the act of reading aloud to children is highly beneficial to both their vocabulary growth and in preparing them for school later on.

Even from birth, children are absorbing language by listening to their parents and caregivers talk, read and sing to them and others.  When parents and caregivers read to their children, they help instill a love of learning and language in their children that helps build self-esteem, confidence and curiosity. According to research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reading has been found to be the “single most important skill” for a productive life.

Unfortunately, according to Read Aloud 15 MINUTES, only 48% of young children in the United States are read to each day. And studies have shown that as many as 10 million children struggle with basic reading in school.

Parents and caregivers can inspire a love of books in their young children by reading books together every day, in any language. And it doesn’t matter how young the child is; even newborn babies show interest and excitement when their parents read simple books to them as they cuddle or nurse them, or when parents describe the pictures in a book during a short play session. No matter the book—and no matter the age—children will learn to love reading if it means spending more time with loved ones.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• Tips for choosing books for babies and toddlers, from ZERO TO THREE. Also, tips for reading aloud.
• Four ways to encourage a love of reading, from Parenting.
• Check out this list of favorite baby and toddlers books from NAEYC.

INFOGRAPHIC

This beautifully illustrated infographic has great info on reading aloud to children, and why it matters. >><

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A Special Thanksgiving Message

As we prepare to take a day or two off from our busy work lives to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends, the staff at Too Small to Fail would like to take this opportunity to express gratitude for the work of our partners, colleagues and friends. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

Thanks to the work of our many partners and supporters, we’ve been able to reach millions of parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and policy makers with information about how to help secure a brighter future for all children in America. From New York City to Oakland, California, we have established relationships with incredible organizations and individuals who are committed to helping children succeed by improving early vocabulary and math skills, strengthening social skills and empowering parents with tools to help them improve their children’s early learning.

We look forward to continuing this work in the upcoming year, even as we count our many blessings and lessons from the past year.

And a special thank you to all of you who work so hard to make a positive difference in individual children’s lives—whether your own children or those of others. Know that your work matters, and the time you take to talk, read and sing to the babies and toddlers in your life—even if just for a few minutes a day—means a lot to their development and well-being.

So, whether you’re braving the roads or skyways to be with loved ones, or are wrestling a turkey into your oven or vegetables into a pot, we hope you get to enjoy some quality time with the little ones in your life. And if you’re looking for a fun activity to explore with your child during the next few days, here’s an easy one we found that highlights gratitude and encourages together time.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. We hope it’s a special one.

Happy Thanksgiving to the Too Small to Fail team, to everyone at the Clinton Foundation,  to Mme. Secretary and her lovely family, and to all the readers here at Still 4 Hill. Have a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving!

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I am thankful, every day of every year, for having the chance to be on earth at the same time as Hillary Clinton.

A Little Routine for Life-long Health

All humans are supposed to be creatures of habit, but children really thrive on habit and routine—even when it appears otherwise!  Children deeply benefit from routines that establish healthy habits like regular sleep, nutritious meals eaten around the dinner table, and an organized home. This is because daily and family routines help children develop the cognitive, emotional and social skills they will need to succeed in school and beyond.

Researchers encourage establishing routines with children from infancy for various reasons. Routines help children learn that they can trust and depend on adults—a valuable asset for emotional stability in relationships and an important way to establish parent-child bonds. Meaningful routines—like the ones we practice as rituals during Thanksgiving and other holidays—help children feel like they belong to a community, and improve their social skills. Some research even suggests that children living in families with regular routines suffer from fewer illnesses, like respiratory infections.

Parents and caregivers can help children establish healthy routines that have direct and life-long benefits. For example, parents can read books with their babies and young children at bedtime to help them sleep better. Parents can also establish regular times of conversation, like around the dinner table, to improve bonding and stimulate language. Finally, parents and caregivers can use holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving to instill a sense of tradition and history in the family.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• This article from the AAP explains how various routines throughout a child’s day can improve moods and benefit development.
• This article from Raising Children Network offers tips for how parents can incorporate routines and ritual into family life.
• A reminder that quality time can happen in short intervals—even for busy families!

Video

This beautiful video from BabyWorld shows how a bedtime routine will help your infant get the sleep his body—and brain—need. >>

 

Gratitude for Every Day of the Year

Were you taught to count your blessings as a child?  Turns out, this is important advice for young children and adults alike. While rituals like Thanksgiving serve as a great opportunity to express gratitude within families, new research is showing that teaching young children how to express gratitude on a regular basis is an important skill that will benefit them their entire lives.

According to a growing body of research, there are many benefits to the social, emotional and physical development of children when they are taught to feel and express gratitude regularly. Psychologists have found that when people think about the positive things in their lives—even while experiencing stressful situations—they can increase their happiness, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety.  The benefits stem from brain hormones triggered and released by positive thoughts. These “feel-good” hormones counter the effects of the body’s stress hormones, which can harm developing minds and bodies. Expressing gratitude on a regular basis can improve the immune system, speed up recovery time and prevent chronic illnesses like obesity and heart disease. Finally, the more positive a child’s thinking, the more eager they are to learn and engage with others. This improves their social relationships and encourages new connections.

This does not mean that parents and caregivers should stop children from expressing negative feelings or emotions. But parents can help young children learn how to think positively and express gratitude by talking about their own gratitude for the positive things and people in their lives. Also, parents and caregivers can help young toddlers develop gratitude by sharing books about thankfulness, and involving them in activities—like delivering donated food to a food bank—that encourage sharing and empathy for others.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• This news article from the Wall Street Journal explains recent research on gratitude, and how it benefits children and families.
• Tips, videos and other resources from Greater Good about why gratitude matters—and how to express it regularly!
• Ten ways to help children express their gratitude, starting now!

Video

This video for parents explains why teaching gratitude can improve health and well-being for their children, and themselves. >>

Here is what Hillary is thankful for today.

Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton  

Quality child care makes our families & communities stronger. Thanks to the President for signing bipartisan child care bill. @2SmallToFail

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Nurturing a Kinder, Gentler Child With Empathy

Sometimes, very young children can be highly attuned to the emotional state of others—crying when they see a parent or sibling cry, for example. Other times, they can appear insensitive, ignoring a child’s cries or pointing out differences that make adults wince. The ability to relate to how others feel, or empathy, is learned in different ways throughout a person’s life and while not always readily apparent in babies or toddlers, it is an important skill to learn that contributes to success in school and beyond.

Empathy is closely linked to social and emotional development, and researchers agree that people who show strong empathy for others tend to have better social interactions, and do better in school and at work. This kind of prosocial behavior—behavior that benefits others—is an asset in building relationships and in developing moral behavior. Like other social and emotional skills, empathy is best nurtured in infancy by a parent or caregiver.

Talking about feelings is a great way to start this process. In order to help children develop the positive benefits of empathy—without becoming emotionally distressed by the pain of others—parents and caregivers can use every day moments to teach these important life skills. For example, if a child observes another fall down, a parent can explain how that child may feel and then model empathic behavior by asking the fallen child if he’s okay or needs help.

Parents can also help their children understand that it feels good to help others in need by being affectionate and responsive to their children’s needs.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• Find tips here for improving the social and emotional health of children from birth through age three, from the experts at ZERO TO THREE.
• This article from PBS offers tips for nurturing emotionally secure, confident children—from infancy.

First Teachers Can Be Most Important Teachers

Even if parents don’t see themselves as teachers, they are their children’s first—and often, most!—important teachers. From even before birth, babies learn to recognize the sound of their mother’s voices and learn about their environment. And after birth, babies look to parents to help them make sense of the world around them, from new foods to new experiences. Every book that is read, song that is sung, or story that is told is an opportunity for parents to teach their young children about their environment, boost their vocabulary and build closer bonds.

But parents aren’t the only teachers in a young child’s life. Increasingly, grandparents play the role of primary caregivers to young children and foster their physical, emotional and cognitive development. According to AARP, almost 3 million grandparents in the United States serve as primary caregivers for their grandchildren. These grandparents provide an important way for young children to learn important skills from older adults, as well as family history.

Older siblings also play a very important role in young children’s lives by offering guidance on simple activities or social customs. New research shows that the learning that takes place between younger and older siblings is spontaneous and two-sided—meaning that older siblings often offer instruction to younger siblings without being asked, but younger siblings often ask their older siblings how to do things, too.

While young children can learn from every person they encounter, it is the ones who engage with them on a daily basis—be they parents, grandparents, siblings or preschool teachers—that best inspire a child’s life-long curiosity and love for learning.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• Tips and information from AARP for grandparents who serve as their grandchildren’s primary caregivers, from important medical records to legal issues.
• Ideas for fun activities that support early learning, from our friends at ZERO TO THREE.
• 20 tips for parents from preschool teachers about how to get the most from your toddler.
• This blog post from Too Small to Fail reveals how one family’s youngest teacher helps his sister learn.

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Developing Young Readers

Have you ever noticed how some children (and adults!) can get so absorbed in a book that the rest of the world seems to disappear around them? A love for reading can be both fun and educational, and it can start early in a child’s life.

According to the National Institute for Literacy, one out of every five children in the United States will experience a reading or writing problem in school. But children who are read to on a regular basis from infancy are better prepared to learn in school and beyond. In fact, the more words that an adult speaks, reads or sings to a child from birth the better the child’s grasp of language.

Parents and caregivers can help create a love for reading in their children by reading a wide variety of books, stories and other materials with their children every day. For parents who find reading books difficult, there are many other opportunities to help build a child’s reading and vocabulary skills. Reading signs out loud while walking through the grocery store, pointing out words on bus ads, or even flipping through a book and talking about the pictures can also help build a child’s understanding of reading. And singing, rhyming and conversation are great ways to stimulate babies’ brains and expand their grasp of language.

Research also shows that when parents or caregivers use “big” words with their children—even if the child seems too young to understand—they are helping their children learn how to communicate more effectively.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• These articles from PBS Parents offer tips for how to incorporate reading into other daily activities, like riding in the car or taking a bath.
• Additional fun ways for parents and caregivers to build their children’s literacy skills from Get Ready to Read.
• This article from the American Academy of Pediatrics explains why vocabulary is important to early brain development.
• This op-ed by Cindy McCain and Roberto Llamas explains the word gap and how parents and caregivers can help close it.

Video

Check out this video produced by the staff of Next Generation and Too Small to Fail about favorite children’s books—we dare you not to get a little teary! >>

 

Sensory Play Encourages Thinking—and Fun!

Have you noticed how babies try to put everything in their mouths, no matter the yuck factor? It is one of the many reasons we must remain vigilant around young children, but it’s also a fascinating peek inside their active brains. By using their senses—sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste—young children explore and learn about their world. And this curiosity offers a great opportunity for parents and caregivers to help their children learn.

Even from before birth, children are gathering information about the world around them. Researchers now know that infants in utero can recognize their mother’s voice, and many recognize commonly heard sounds and speech patterns. From birth on, babies use all their senses to catalog what they learn and to develop their thinking skills. It is during this time that “sensory play” (play activities that encourage the use of all five senses) becomes important for later learning.

For example, babies learn to recognize songs they hear from parents and caregivers and eventually learn to sing along. And when a parent or caregiver describes the different textures they encounter—like coarse sand or smooth glass—young children begin to expand their vocabulary to better describe what they feel.

Parents and caregivers can encourage sensory play by offering safe, fun activities inside and outside the home that stimulate baby’s senses. Baskets filled with scarves or plastic kitchen utensils offer safe, fun ways for a baby to use sensory play. Also, parents can use everyday moments—like splashing water during bath time—to encourage exploration of the world around them.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• This article from NAEYC explains why “babies like boxes best”, and how parents can encourage sensory play in their young children.
• This article from Kids Health describes how children learn from play and the safe exploration of their environment.
• Toddlers learn from “experiments”, says this article from ZERO TO THREE.

Video

Kayden became a social media sensation thanks to her excitement at running in the rain. Check it out, here. >>

 

All We Need Is A Little Love (Mostly)

A cuddle. A warm smile. Softly spoken words. All of these things help babies feel comfortable and secure, and help them learn that they can trust the adults around them. The more safe and secure babies and young children feel, the more easily they form healthy relationships with others, and can turn their attention to learning.

Early brain development researchers have found that the emotional and social development of children is as important—if not more important—than their cognitive development. This is because when children form secure attachments (close emotional bonds built on love and trust) with parents and caregivers, they more easily explore the world around them, regulate their own emotions, and can comfort themselves when needed. If a young child has formed insecure attachments (emotional bonds characterized by unpredictability and fear), they may not know how to safely and appropriately interact with other people and their environment.

The bottom line? Secure attachments help a child build the skills they will need to succeed in school and in their adult lives.

Parents and caregivers can help build their child’s social and emotional development in a few simple ways. Even if the reason for crying is unclear, it is important that a parent or caregiver respond calmly and affectionately to reassure the child. Established routines are also important in helping babies feel secure, even if the routines are adapted from time to time to accommodate a child’s needs. And small actions—like looking into a baby’s eyes when talking, or gently stroking their forehead at bedtime—can help increase the sense of bonding for both parents and child.

 

Resources for Sharing:

• PBS’s special feature “This Emotional Life” explains why emotional bonding is so important for children’s health and well-being.
• Our blog post on the special role of parents in young children’s lives offers ideas for ways to improve bonding.
• Bonding with fathers is the focus of this article from Kids Health, which offers ways that fathers can build strong emotional bonds with young children, too.

We’re honoring all of the teachers who have made a difference in our lives—parents and caregivers, too—for World Teacher’s Day on October 5th. Starting Monday, September 29, use #MyFirstTeacher on Twitter to share your best early teacher and what they taught you. We’ll retweet our favorites, so include a photo if you can!

Video

Parents from the land “Down Under” explain how they bonded—or didn’t—with their young children (including thoughts from actor Russell Crowe!). >>

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