The early years set the tone for children’s feelings, beliefs, and ideas about those different from them. As shared in this previous blog post: https://blogs.iu.edu/earlyliteracy/2023/06/12/discussing-race-and-freedom-with-young-children/, the sooner these conversations start, the better. Supporting children to learn about the world’s diversity is especially important if you live and/or work in a mostly homogeneous community. Books are… Read more »
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Fireworks and Early Literacy
There are lots of fun ways to celebrate the July 4th holiday with young children including things like painting with red, white, and blue, singing related songs and fingerplays, and even using fireworks videos to launch science lessons. But did you know that these activities support early literacy skills too? Painting and collage activities help… Read more »
Discussing Race and Freedom with Young Children
Juneteenth (Freedom Day) is on June 19th. Early childhood may seem too soon to discuss concepts such as racism and freedom. However, early childhood is the time when children form their identities and construct their attitudes towards people different from themselves. Early childhood educators can use literacy lessons to support children’s understanding of complex issues. … Read more »
What Does Reading Have To Do with Children’s Mental Health?
A Lot It Turns Out! May is National Mental Health Awareness month. Since the pandemic, there has been an increased focus on the mental health of young children, and particularly the fact that they are not immune to mental health issues. In fact, the latest brain science research and studies on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)… Read more »