1. Read to your child as soon as they can focus on a book in front of them.  Although they may not understand the finer points of the story, they are learning concepts of print:  how to hold a book, how to turn the pages, where to start a book.  As they grow older, they’ll begin to understand that the words on the page carry a message which is linked to the pictures in the book.

2.  Allow your child to turn the pages and touch the book – books with different textures or flaps they can open will increase their interest and allow for their need to move and explore.

3.  Expose your child to the cadences of language – read with expression and try different voices when characters are talking.  If you’re reading a rhyming book, let your child guess the word at the end of the line (ie. I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them, Sam I…..).  If there is repetition in the book, let your child recite the repeating lines (”Bang, bang, rattle, bang-bang, gonna make my noise all day!”).

4.  Do not limit reading to bedtime.  Seek out reading experiences in the real world – read signs and posters around the neighbourhood.  Children can recognize “stop” on a stop sign or the name of favourite restaurant.  Have them read cereal boxes, shopping lists, price tags and toy store flyers.  You may even want to make labels with your child for things around the house like “chair,” “window,” “fridge” etc.

5.  When your child is beginning to read simple books, let them use the picture to help make sense of the words on the page.  Many parents make the mistake of covering up the picture, but at this early stage, children need to use a variety of different strategies to figure out the text.

6.  Allow your child to read many different types of texts:  fiction, non-fiction, magazines, the internet, comic books etc.  Boys, especially will appreciate outside the mainstream books like Captain Underpants or The Day My Butt Went Psycho.  And don’t worry if they’re just looking at the pictures.  Think about how adults browse at the bookstore – we flip through the pictures, read a few captions – it’s a very real way of reading.

7.  When your child is reading by themselves, listen to them read out loud, but be cognizant of when it is becoming too difficult or they’re getting tired.  Offer to finish reading, or share the reading.  And once they’ve started reading books by themselves, don’t give up on you reading to them.  Choose books they might not be able to read independently, like novels, and read a little bit each night.

8. If you find your child is struggling to read the books they’re bringing home from school, talk to the teacher.  Children will learn to read and enjoy reading if they read books that give them some challenges (figuring out a few new words), but they may become discouraged if they are spending most of their time decoding words and therefore will lose the meaning of what they are reading.

Steph Dawson is an elementary school teacher in Toronto with a specialist qualification in Reading.

Oh, and Listerine has come out with another treat for kids as well – a website with tips and activities.  We love more things to do at home with the kids!

www.listerinekids.ca

Cards by Kids takes a photo or scan of any item of your child’s 2-dimensional art and uses it as the cover for a greeting card set. A painting, a drawing, a collage, a construction paper creation—you name it, they can create a card out of it! On the back cover, the company prints your child’s name (last name optional), age and the date of their creation. Then they mail you your personalized greeting card set. This personal touch is a great alternative to those tired drugstore cards. A great idea would be to create a series of cards, one for each year showcasing your child’s artistic, physical and emotional development. Soon your family and friends will be looking forward to seeing this year’s great new card. Most importantly you will give your child a fantastic sense of accomplishment and pride as you share their art with your friends and family. A unique opportunity like this teaches them early that there are so many possibilities for what they can accomplish!

To order your Cards by Kids personalized greeting card set visit their website and see what fantastic cards they can create with your child’s art!

-Danica Longair

Science World is its own little planet of learning and fun in the heart of Vancouver and you don’t even need a space shuttle to visit. The landmark, twinkling, silver-globe that houses Science World and the Imax theatre is enticing for children even before they step inside. Once inside, they’ll learn many basic science principles they’ll encounter in school in a dynamic, interactive and exciting environment. The science in their school textbooks will jump off the page in a memorable way, inspiring and expanding their creative and analytical minds, shaping the way they see the world and giving them a boost for their science education. The great thinkers and inventors of tomorrow are the children of today and it’s important to expose young minds early to the possibilities of our universe.

With its six themed galleries and varying demonstrations, presentations and films in the Science Theatre, Centre Stage and OMNIMAX Theatre, it’s a great place to visit any day and kids of all ages will learn something new. The Eureka Gallery is bound to be popular as children can run around and interact with very large and unique science demonstrations that will illuminate principles of light, sound, air, water, motion and machinery. It’s sure to inspire many “Eureka!” moments! The newly renovated Search gallery will guide patrons on a journey through the wonders and history of the natural world featuring a dinosaur skeleton, tropical frogs, an interactive beaver dam and an 800-year-old Western Red Cedar tree! The Our World exhibit features modern life and asks visitors to contemplate how their actions will shape the future. The BodyWorks exhibit explores human biology and anatomy through games and other hands-on demonstrations. There’s also a Kidspace for younger children to play and much more excitement!

There are several different themed birthday parties available for children of all ages, including a specialized preschool party and other new party packages. There is a Science Surprise Party that will be sure to astonish even the adults in the crowd, an Insects Party for those budding entomologists, and a chemistry-themed party for the “Wow!” factor! There is limited birthday party space so it’s important to book your child’s birthday party well ahead of time. Your pre-booked party will include a zany and knowledgeable Science World host who will personally guide your children in their Science World journey, time to explore all the exciting science and activity galleries, and a decorated, private party room for birthday party musts like cake and presents.

So bring your children and their friends and parents to an exciting planet of fun and learning. Visit the Telus World of Science Website for more details. No astronaut training required to go to this amazing world! Hey, can I have my next birthday party there?

-Danica Longair

The material is based on research, features a multicultural cast, and deals with emotional issues that sometimes are hard to broach as parents. Not to mention the music, and all of the New York City references. You feel very urban as you watch. Sesame Street is also aired in many countries around the world – and delivered by rickshaw to those who don’t have regular access.

But have you ever done a Youtube search for the music? Watch the Goo Goo Dolls, India Arie, Andrea Boccelli, Jack Black, James Blunt, Destiny’s Child and Feist – so you get entertained, and your child learns too.

How about www.sesameworkshop.org and www.sesamestreet.org? Play games, learn about potty training, and see that K is for Kite (Elmo’s Keyboard Game). Enjoy and hats off to Sunny Days.

Here’s what we’ve come up with so far:

1. Grocery store.  Empty your recycling box, and set up a grocery store with the kids.  A cardboard box or stroller could become a grocery cart, and pennies in a ‘cash register’ and ‘wallet’ are a nice touch.  You could even get more complicated with receipts and price stickers to do some math work.  At many ages you can use this as a tool to learn counting, money management, and creativity.  If we want to bake a cake, what do we need?
2. Hide the toys.  Make a scavenger hunt with favourite toys. (like an Easter egg hunt anytime of the year!)
3. Allison from Stylekid makes playdoh (see our great recipes) from scratch and puts it into glass jars with recipe tags for birthday party giveaways.
4. Sue from Raspberry Kids plays Clues.  She draws up paper “clues” of objects around her house and then turns off the lights.  The kids have their flashlights (ecotronic ones from Raspberry Kids of course!) and she gives them their first clue.  They figure out what the image is and then they go to it to find their next clue.  At the end the kids get a ‘You Win’ drawing with a happy face and we will give them a small treat.
5. Coffee grind Sensory Table, from www.notimeforflashcards.com Gather your materials. Allison saved up 3 days worth of used coffee grinds. You will also need a tub, some coffee scoops (anything will do) and some mugs. Explore! There is no wrong way to do this. Her son did a lot of filling and dumping to start with.  After the sensory exploration you can feed your garden with the coffee grinds.
6. Use alphabet flash cards, and pick a different one every day.  You must do something that starts with the letter.  ‘P’ could be highlighted for an activity like Picking blackberries, or Playing the Piano.
7. Play coffee shop.  Kitchen mugs, pretend sugar, cappuccino foam, and flavours, an apron and a menu.
8. Grab a Nature Bag and get outside.
9. Plant a salad garden.  Lettuce is fast and easy to grow, then invite some other kids over to pick it and do a big salad bar.
10.  Movie theatre.  Have you played soccer all day and just need to sit down?  Why not turn family movie night into a game.  Have the usher seat you (with a flashlight of course), have a server bring popcorn, or go to the snack bar during an intermission.

There are lots of cool ways to spend your time at home.  For free.  No registration required.

The reality is that we too are a work in progress (hopefully farther along the road than our children), and there is nothing like having a child that calls to the forefront our own shortcomings and areas of immaturities. The best therapy one could ever do is to have a child because in trying to be their answer you come face to face with your own areas in need of growth. For example, in trying to hold onto the frustration and tantrums of a preschooler, means we must hold onto our own frustration and keep our reactions in check. It is the love for our children that can call forth within us this motivation and desire to be more and to not repeat the things that didn’t work for us as a child. And so to this desire we give ourselves fully, and in it’s wake our guilt appears, showing us where we have fallen short of these goals and how we have served to sometimes harm the very ones we strive to take care of. It is this guilt and conflict about who we are and who we want to be to our children, that actually helps us form intentions to do differently.

The other side of guilt is the existential reality that in seeing yourself as your child’s answer you can experience guilt for everything … from the bruised knees to the sadness they experience when you leave for work.  It is only because you see yourself as responsible for them that you experience this guilt at all, and it is the very best manifestation of it. If truth were told, I worry most for the children whose parents don’t ever feel guilty. And if you look at it from a child’s point of view, they can graciously and willingly forgive when their parents make mistakes. What children can have a harder time understanding is a lack of guilt in their parents when harm is done.

We live in a culture that doesn’t support tears and guilt, but they are both part of what serves to keep us human. When you are able to find your tears about the ways you fall short as a parent – then, and only then – can you begin to find your way through. All of the time we run from our demons we are at their mercy and are threatened to be swallowed whole by them. Guilt is a message, an unwelcome one sometimes, but one worth listening to if you have the courage.

Becoming the answer to your child is impossible without experiencing guilt and it needs to find its rightful place in our psyche. Guilt keeps us honest and real, pointing us in the direction of being the parent our children deserve. The only guilt that is worth getting rid of is feeling guilty about feeling guilty. Its very existence is the expression of our deepest yearning to be our child’s best bet, and to that I say, guilty as charged.

Deborah MacNamara, Ph.D., is a parent consultant, counsellor and educator in private practice in Vancouver. She has interned with Dr. Gordon Neufeld and provides leadership to the Neufeld Institute. For more information please contact deborah@macnamara.ca or www.macnamara.ca

1. The Telus World of Science offers new, exciting and unique birthday party packages for children of all ages. Pre-booked parties include a zany Science World host, exploration time in the many galleries and exhibits and a decorated private party room. Themed packages include a Preschool Package, Science Surprise Package, Insects Package and Chemistry Package. There’s limited space so be sure to book early. Visit their website for more information on the great parties Science World has to offer!

2.  Green Planet Parties supplies compostable dishes (that look stylish enough for a wedding).  Also check their cloth goody bags, reusable, sewn ‘Happy Birthday’ banners, and personalized endangered animal necklaces for the kids.  Order online, and look like a hero – both for the cool factor, and also for saving the environment.

3.  Get those kids active with a party at Jump Gymnastics.  The tots leave with balloons, get a fab lesson in tumbling, and the cake can be gobbled up while sitting on colourful stools in the party room.

4.  Dora bags are fun and all, but why not grab a reusable shopping bag (the Vancouver Aquarium has great ones) to stash the gifts?

5.  Know any interesting university students or professors?  Hire one for an hour to add spice to the party.  The marine biology major could talk about crabs at your beach bash, or the bug or dinosaur guy could do their thing.  (Think Ross on Friends – wouldn’t you like to have him at your party?)

6. Plant a garden with the kids from the party, give seeds as favours, and treat the parents to a talk from a landscape designer.

7.  Use frames as your giveaway, and do an art party.  Frame the little Picassos at the end, and other parents will be so thrilled to have a hang-able piece of art!

8.  Homeworks Etc. has great hooks that are ‘in the raw’.  You can paint them at the party, take them home, and voila – a great place for your bathrobe!

9.  Instead of gifts, hold a Giving Party.  Ask for some money and split the total between your child and a charity.  This will stimulate conversation about why little Aidan doesn’t have a wrapped present, and get them discussing the tigers.  Green Planet Parties has some great wording on their website with how to ask for the donations.

See also our Birthday Banner feature, our 1 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas and One Year Old Birthday Party articles .