Wayne Lee

Reading to Your Toddler

Reading to Your Toddler

Words on Wheels’ Early Childhood Specialist, Ms. Bobbie Edwards, MSHRD—provides useful advice on reading to your toddler. She also models reading to a toddler as she reads There's a Nightmare in My Closet, written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer.

Reading to Your Baby

Reading to Your Baby

Words on Wheels’ Advisory Board member and Early Childhood Specialist, Ms. Bobbie Edwards, MSHRD—provides useful advice on reading to your baby. She also models reading to a baby as she reads Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. Made for parents, guardians, and child care providers.

Benefits of Reading VS. Screen Time

Benefits of Reading VS. Screen Time

Taking away screens and reading to our children during the formative years of birth to age 5 boosts brain development. We all know that's true, but now science can convince us with startling images.

Lake County Community Foundation awards $254,000 in grants

Lake County Community Foundation awards $254,000 in grants

“Grant recipients were identified through a competitive application process and their work has the potential for high impact and high visibility throughout Lake County.”
”2018 Early Childhood Development Grants focus on developing early literacy skills for children ages 0-5 by equipping nonprofits with the essential tools and resources to support children and families.”

Reading Skills: What to Expect at Different Ages

When I was a second grade teacher, many of my parents had many questions about their child. I wish I had found this organization and their website: Understood.org  to help answer their questions. Understood.org is one of the many excellent resources to help parents with concerns and questions.

I found a graphic and ariticle that list the reading skills a child is to acquire at certain ages. The contributor Amanda Morin state an important point: 

"Not all kids develop reading skills at the same rate. But there are some general milestones to look out for as your child grows up. Take a look at how they typically unfold."

Wayne Lee, M.Ed

The Impact of a Father's Involvement With Their Baby

The Impact of a Father's Involvement With Their Baby

Mothers play a major role in their baby's lives and in their development. What about the fathers?
According to researchers, dads who interact more with their children during the first few months of life have a positive impact on their baby’s cognitive development.

Read, Speak, Sing: Your Baby and Early Literacy

From the Canadian Pediatric Society: "Learning to read starts from birth. Whether through books, words, or songs – daily language experiences help form an emotional bond with your baby and are vital to the development of your baby’s early literacy skills."

Words on Wheels believe that reading, speaking, and singing to babies and children promote literacy skills.

Video credit: Canadian Paediatric Society/Société canadienne de pédiatrie

Building Your Baby’s Brain

Building Your Baby’s Brain

The following article was from my local public library newsletter. It was from the director, Ryan Livergood. He talks about the biggest predictor of a child's vocabulary at age three is the amount and the quality of words spoken with a child in the first three years. Ryan further states that it is a good indicator of academic success. There are numerous studies on brain development in children. All the studies provide proof that reading, talking, and interacting with your child in the first three years have a great impact on their brain development. Areas such as speech, language, and literacy are impacted. Ryan also provides tips on how to help your child. I want to share his letter, so I retyped it below: