We shared an “anticipatory” book and a “guessing” book today! It may seem like guessing games are all for fun, however, they do contribute to your baby’s language development and burgeoning critical thinking skills.
I thought I’d share a basic literacy tip taken from the Illinois Early Learning Project website (see the link below). If you wonder why I sometimes use books that are repetitive and rhythmic, this is why:
Helpful Literacy Tip for Today (things to think about as your baby grows toward toddlerhood) –
- Picture books with basic vocabulary and simple rhyme patterns let children anticipate what word comes next. Examples: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss; Rap A Tap Tap by Leo and Dianne Dillon.
- Children often like to repeat simple phrases or refrains with a reader.
http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/predictable.htm
“Peekaboo! I SEE…Daddy!” “Peekaboo! I SEE…Mommy!”
We played a little peekaboo guessing game with our first book Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora. The infants had to anticipate who the baby in our beautifully illustrated story would see next. Rachel Isadora’s books use everyday family experiences to celebrate ethnic diversity. The illustrations and text are bright and clear making them wonderful for babies.
“What has spots?.. “A Cow has spots!”
In Nancy Tafuri’s, Spots, Feathers & Curly Tails, the babies got some visual and verbal clues to help them guess the animals in the book. The brief text and strong, simple visuals make this a perfect guessing book for babies. Great for building anticipation and teaching animal identification.
Who’s peeking out from under the shape? Peekaboo – CAT! Peekaboo BUNNY! Peekaboo PUPPY! Peekaboo SQUIRREL!!!
The babies had fun playing peekaboo with the animals behind the circle, square, rectangle and triangle. I used a handheld flannel board to make it easier for each infant to see the shapes & the pair of “peeking” eyes.
OUR NURSERY RHYME:
Little Miss Muffett
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffett away.
For a printable list of songs, rhymes & bounces we shared, click here: Infant Songs-Rhymes-Guess