How much is too much when it comes to children & the Internet?

A recent article in the NYT spoke of the trauma many people experienced when Storm Sandy knocked out Internet access for days. The author maintains “adults and children are overindulging in our devices, devoting ourselves to the trivial.” That is certainly debatable but what is irrefutable is the fact that young children need a different kind of stimulation for their brains to grow and develop.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/fashion/hurricane-sandy-reveals-a-life-unplugged.html?pagewanted=all

One of the biggest challenges a parent faces is how much on line time do children need and how much is too much.

At birth, most of a baby’s 100 billion brain cells aren’t yet connected in networks. Those cells become connected when babies have stimulating experiences. Research shows that early language experience actually stimulate a child’s brain to grow. Talking develops a child’s use and understanding of language, which is the basis of reading. Vocabulary development by age 3 has been found to predict reading success and conversations before the age of 3 are directly linked to IQ development.  Preschoolers who have heard more words have larger vocabularies when they enter kindergarten and are prepared to learn to read.

Busy parents along with children plugged into devices does not foster the type of interaction and stimulation children need to foster their verbal abilities. Language acquisition and fluency comes from face to face interaction, not from a device or a flash card. Put down the device and start talking.

Parents can help drive the Common Core Standards

There is a two-fold challenge with the adoption of the Common Core standards by most states. First, how do teachers best prepare themselves to achieve the goals of the Common Core English Language Arts Standards.  The second challenge is to take advantage of this opportunity to educate parents on what they can do in the home that supports their child’s work in the classroom. A strong partnership between school and home help children achieve academic success.

Conversational Reading (CR), reading and talking about a story, is a practice that correlates with the implementation of the Common Core English Language Arts Literacy State Standards.

Conversational Reading is a reading strategy that builds strong literacy skills by showing children how to get more from the books they read.  Conversational Reading (CR) encourages children to read for meaning and shows them how to better understand a story through conversation. Strong comprehension skills are the foundation for children becoming proficient and confident readers.

Parents and caregivers also can practice Conversational Reading (CR) in the home by making it a routine to read aloud and to build in the habit of talking about the story as well. The benefits of CR show that the most important outcome is not how many books children read but how many conversations they have about the books they read.

The following is a brief summary of the strategies behind CR.

~ There are 3 steps to Conversational Reading:

Read a book. Ask a question. Start a conversation.

~ Many of the benefits of the read aloud are lost if there is not the habit of talking to children about the story. Being read to does not automatically lead to literacy. The real link lies in the verbal interaction that takes place alongside the read aloud.

~ Many of the skills children need to get ready to learn to read are first learned in conversation.

~ Conversational reading models asking good questions—questions that takes you someplace in your thinking. Learning how to ask good questions is the basis of learning because it actually determines the quality of our thinking.

~ The purpose of asking questions about the story is to engage the child in the story and ensure they fully understand the story.

~ Conversational reading helps children become more patient and thoughtful readers.

~ Reading to children in a family’s first language is enormously beneficial. Studies have shown that children with strong first language proficiency are more likely to develop greater English proficiency.

Thank you New Haven CT!

Talking about a story is the key to children becoming good readers.
Read a book. Ask a question. Start a conversation.

I want to thank everyone I had the pleasure to work with in New Haven this past week.  The parents, teachers, providers and caregivers I met at New Haven Reads, Gateway Community College, All Our Kin, Covidien, and West Haven Community—all of you brought great enthusiasm and determination to my presentations. You understand that wanting the best for children translates into making sure children develop strong literacy skills.  You are all part of the team that will make sure the doors to literacy open. You know this will make the biggest difference in the life of a child.  I hope Reading Together and Conversational Reading continues to inspire you. 

“The most important outcome is not how many books children read,
but how many conversations they have about them. “