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Great Books for Kids this Christmas!

11/20/2016

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10 Books for your Child's Christmas List
Toys, electronics, games.... all fun gifts for kids at the holidays. But, if you're looking for a low-tech option, there's nothing better than a great book!    For little ones, books encourage cognitive development and language skills.  For older kids, books foster higher-level vocabulary and imagination.  

Here are some of my picks for children of all ages...

Infants & Toddlers
Simple, yet engaging illustrations are perfect for children at this age.  Look for story books with lots of repetition and picture books with bold illustrations of basic vocabulary.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. ​Who doesn't love this classic? This great book teaches colors, animal names, and encourages children to begin combining two-words, "brown bear", "green frog", "red bird".  Lots of great language-learning opportunities here!
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Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada, by Jimmy Fallon... Okay, I know this book has mixed reviews, but I LOVE it for itty-bitties.  First, The illustrations are simple and engaging. Second, it's great for learning new vocabulary by talking about the pictures, not just reading it.... "That's a BIG animal... it's a COW. That baby cow is called a CALF. Let's COUNT the spots on the cow!".  And Third, who doesn't love Jimmy Fallon?!?
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Preschool Age
The Original Mother Goose, by Blanche Fisher Wright.  This book is packed full of beautiful illustrations and old nursery rhymes that are rich with language, yet short enough for the average preschooler's attention span.
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Llama Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney.  I like this book not only for it's endearing story, but for all the rhyming! My kids always loved finishing the sentences, because rhyming made the words easier to predict... and kept them engaged.
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5 - 7 Year Olds
Finding Winnie, by Lindsay Mattick. This is a lovely read-aloud book about the true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.  All of my children loved it.  Such a charming picture book and a great way introduce children to non-fiction.
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Frog and Toad (I Can Read Book Series), by Arnold Lobel.   If you have a beginning reader, any of the Frog and Toad books are a great choice.  These have been a favorite in our house.  Large font, yet enough print to challenge, make these delightful stories wonderful gifts for early readers. 
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8 - 12 Year Olds
The Boxcar Children Series, by Gertrude Chandler Warner. These classic Depression-era stories of four hungry children who transform an abandoned boxcar into a home, have kept all my kids' interest. According to my in-house 9-year-old, "these books are full of adventure and mystery".
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Dying to Meet You, by Kate Klise.  This has been a favorite of my oldest for quite some time.  It's loaded with "punny" names like, I.B. Grumply, realtor Anita Sale, and a ghost named Olive C. Spence.  Truly a delightful tale rich with illustrations.  And if your grade-schooler enjoys this book, then also check out Regarding the Fountain, also written by Klise... "another hilarious mystery", according to my 12-year-old.. 
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12+ Year Olds
Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson.  This is a great piece of historical fiction about the yellow fever epidemic that ravaged 18th-century Philadelphia.  Even if history isn't your child's "thing"... this book manages to captivate as a gripping story full of history, heroism, heartache, and happiness.  This house recommends it!
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Harry Potter: The Illustrated Edition, by J.K. Rowling.  If your resident reader loved the Harry Potter series, then what a great way to relive the epic story.... with the elaborate art work of Jim Kay.  The illustrated editions are available for both Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets.  Great gifts for any dedicated fan.
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These are my picks for great books to give the children in your life.... what are some of yours?
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Games to Encourage Speech & Language Skills...

11/10/2016

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Games to Encourage Speech & Language Skills...
Are you looking for great gift ideas for the kids in your life? Goodness knows my kids don't need anymore toys. Games are always a fun and effective way to encourage speech and language skills.

​Here are some of my favorites...
Ages 2 and Up...
Barnyard Bingo
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Such a great and simple game to teach early skills...
- Turn taking skills, "my turn!"
- Simple matching, “It’s a match”, “no match”
- Naming/identifying farm animals
- Use of 2-3 word phrases (“I got ___” ),
- Use of early concepts, “in”, “open”, “shut”
Ages 3 and Up...
Candyland
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Every home should have one of these. It's fun, easy, and QUICK way to teach basic concepts. Even my older kids still love playing!
- Turn taking skills "You go first, then it's my turn!"
- Basic colors "move to the green square!"
- Counting "move 1, 2, 3 spaces!"
- Basic Concepts...
• backward/forward "I had to move backwards!", "Move forward 3 spaces"
• in front/behind "I'm in front now!"
• top/bottom "The peppermint is on the bottom of the board"
​• before/after "You get to move after I do"
Hi Ho Cherry-O
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This is another great one for Basic Concepts...
• numbers and counting
• colors
• some/many "I lost some of my cherries"
• all/none "All the cherries are in my basket!"
​• more/less "You have more cherries than I do!"
• in/on "I have 3 cherries on my tree and 4 in my basket"
1st Grade and Up...
Guess Who?
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This is a really fun game and encourages...
- Formulating questions "Is it a girl?" "Is she wearing a hat?"
​- Processing yes/no questions
​- Deductive reasoning skills (process of elimination)
- Using complete sentences with “is”, “has”, “have”... "Is he bald?", "Yes, he has a mustache."
- Using 
descriptive words about body parts (eyes, mustache, cheeks, beard, etc.) and accessories (hat, glasses, earrings, etc.) 

2nd Grade and Up...
Hedbanz
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My own kids love this game. I often change the rules around to make the other players describe the card to the child wearing it. This reinforces...
​- Describing Skills... "It's a large animal", "It has a sharp point"
​- Sorting and Categorizing... "It's food", "something in a house", "It's an item of clothing"
​- Inferencing Skills... the "guesser" has to process and deduce what is on the card based on the clues from the other players.
​- Question Formulation... the "true' way to play has the "guesser" ask questions about the card.
​These are just a few of my favorites... what are some games YOUR family loves?
3 Comments

    Author

    Amy Graham, MA, CCC-SLP
    Amy is a licensed/certified Speech Language Pathologist in Colorado Springs and owner of Graham Speech Therapy, LLC.

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Graham Speech Therapy
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