Kids say the darnedest things—and also ask the toughest questions! Parents have extraordinary (and sometimes amusing) conversations with their children every day. While it might seem like you’re just building a supply of sweet anecdotes, these moments with your child are actually developmentally important.
Kids learn a lot about language from the conversations they have every day with their parents and their caregivers. At The Learning Tree preschool, we are reading and talking with kids throughout our day, all in an effort to help develop their critical early literacy skills.
You can help reinforce these skills at home, too, whether it’s having a conversation with your kids in the car or at the dinner table or reading with them every day. The more we talk to young children, the more it helps them pick up communication skills they will use for a lifetime.
Everyday moments are great opportunities for conversation, but sometimes you need an idea to get things rolling. If you’re looking for some fun ways to get the conversation started in your house, check out Wonderopolis for their Wonder of the Day, a fun question to spark the imagination and maybe even learn something new. You can sign up to receive a new question every day via email or text as well as checking their site for past Wonders.
If you want to take it a step further, check out the site’s Wonder Jar page, a fun concept to help get your family’s conversations going and to share in some wondering together. The site offers some pre-written questions, or you can create your own. If you have family members of differing ages and interests, editing the questions to make sure everyone can participate may be a good idea.
However you get the conversation started, enjoy your talks—and your time—together! And if one of your “wonders” is about The Learning Tree, please feel free to contact us to learn more about our preschool in Livermore. We welcome your questions!
