- Reading Goodnight Moon, Pat the Bunny, or Are You My Mother? for the 26th time this week with a smile
- Counting fingers, toes, plates, spoons, bottles, and other objects aloud with great enthusiasm
- Describing in detail your actions as you are taking food items out of the refrigerator
- Getting a library card for your infant, and making sure you have frequent opportunities to use it
- Pointing out numbers on signs in the grocery store
- Answering the question “Why?” thoughtfully and patiently for the 100th time today
These are the actions of Everyday Heroes. These activities, and many more like them, help children to learn and develop language and math skills. From the time they are born, children’s brains are active making a million new neural connections every second. During the first three years of life, the brain will grow more than at any other time. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and caregivers are the teachers and young children are the eager students soaking up knowledge and experiences and building the brain architecture that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
Everyday interactions can spark curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm for learning. The patience parents, grandparents, siblings, and caregivers put forth while reading the same book over and over, singing the same song, or even making the same rhyme, provides the practice that children need to master new skills. Repetition helps to improve speed, increases confidence, and strengthens the connections in the brain that help children learn.
The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading would like to help parents, grandparents, siblings, and caregivers in their roles as Everyday Heroes. Text EverydayHero to 77453 to receive weekly tips on how you can create and enhance learning experiences for your children … Every Day!
