ZerotoThree (a national nonprofit dedicated to helping better the lives of children ages 0 to 3) does it again!  They have some excellent age appropriate activities for children 0 – 12 months, 12 – 24 months, and 24 – 36 months.  Here are three quick examples: So Big! for 0 to 12.  Ask, “How big is baby?” And then help stretch his or her arms up above their head while saying, “So big!”  Ramp-n-Roll for 12-24 build a ramp with a book and board.  Hand child a car or ball and commence having fun.  Mail Mayhem for 24-36.  Create special notes to be the mail for your child and hide them around a room.  Let your child find them and stuff them in a mailbox.  After all of the notes have been found read through them together.  Then swap roles.

So Big worked on my brother and ramps worked on me.  Hopefully these will help you too!

So dads, assuming you all conform to that traditional procrastinating stereotype most of you are flying out the door to go shopping because you only have less than 12 hours to find a Mother’s Day gift.  Finding the right gift can be difficult, especially when you have a little one who doesn’t bring home handmade cards from preschool or elementary school.  So this year, why not create a memory book?  All you need is white paper/cardstock, nontoxic fingerpaint, a pen, hole punch and thread.  The process is simple, gently paint your infants hands and feet let them create the cover and illustrations.  Then write down the memories from past year: like how funny it was that you drove to work in your pajamas because you hadn’t slept in 3 days after your little miracle came home or the midnight runs to the store to satisfy cravings for pickles and ice cream.  Punch holes and sew with thread to bind.  You’ll have a great keepsake and your child will already have illustrated a book!  A book your child will someday love because of the great stories about them.

Tummy Time will be on hiatus during the summer.  It will return Monday, September 10th.  In the meantime, we have new board books to help entertain your little ones.  The first is Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell.

If those cats look familiar it’s because Patrick McDonnell is also the author of the Mutts comic series!

For those of you expecting a new addition to your family and want a book to help teach your little one about upcoming changes and responsibilities then You’re Getting a Baby Sister or You’re Getting a Baby Brother both by Sheila Sweeny Higginson may be for you.

Next we have a series of books, by Elizabeth Verdick, that teach your child about naptime, manners, and mealtime.  These books help explain proper etiquette to youngsters through colorful illustrations and examples.

And here are the rest of our new books.

Come on in and find a few to share with your youngster today!

We have some new board books in our collection.  Here are a few of them.

Several other new additions to our collection by Charles Reasoner are Black & White Farm, Black & White Ocean, Black & White Jungle.  We also have Bedtime, Potty Time, Mealtime, and Bath Time from Charles Reasoner’s Baby Bear series.

These books can be used to help your child develop his or her early literacy skills and will grab their attention with their wonderful illustrations. Enjoy!

Who would have thought playing pretend with your toddler helps them succeed academically later in life!  Well that’s exactly what researchers at Utah State University discovered when they analyzed the results of their 15 year study.  Education Week magazine published an article on the research and findings here.  Education Week is a magazine dedicated to spreading educational news.  They publish articles related to education research, technology in education, and teaching.

The research found that stimulating play, such as playing pretend, helped students later on in school.  The study also found that discussing books and acting out a story also promoted future academic success.  So after reading your next story, why not take a few minutes to act it out with your little one?  Or the next time you see your child jumping from couch to couch to avoid the “lava” why not play along?  Who knows how embracing your inner child today will benefit your child later.

*Bettendorf Public Library is not responsible for damage to persons or property as a result of attempting to avoid “lava”*

Zero to Three, a national nonprofit organization aimed at improving the lives of children from birth to age three, has an online article about helping young children develop an interest in literacy.  Although the title sounds similar to my last blog post,  the Zero to Three article focuses more on helping your child enjoy literacy.  It lists a few easy tips such as making sure the child can see the pictures, talking to your child, and encouraging your child to interact with books (even if it means he or she spends the time eating them.  Please don’t let them eat library books though!).  My favorite tip is creating a book with your child.  I still have stories I created as a child on my bookshelf.  They make great keepsakes.  The article also reminds parents that children who feel pushed to read may develop negative attitudes towards literacy so be sure to make the experience enjoyable!

Family Connect (a website dedicated to helping parents of children with visual impairments) published an interesting article about helping all children develop early literacy skills.   The article focuses on showing and explaining to children examples of written communication.  One easy example is to explain why you are looking at the grocery list and then the aisle signs to your child.  It could be simple, “We look at the list, then the sign,” or as complex “I’m looking at the list to see what we need.  It looks like we need potatoes.  Now I’m going to read the signs to find out which aisle the potatoes are in,” as you’d like it to be. Early literacy exposure is an essential component to children’s reading development.  So check out this article to find out easy ways to help your child’s language development.

Hello, my name is Andrew (you can call me Andy) Miller.  I am the new Library Assistant in the Youth Services department.

A little bit about me, I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education (minor in K-8 Social Studies) from the University of Northern Iowa and completed a Reading Endorsement this past summer through the University of Iowa.  I have been working in the Davenport school system the past year and a half as an Academic Interventionist.  My other experiences working with children include a child care center, substitute teaching, and as a summer camp counselor.

At the library, I will be doing the Tummy Time program, Tuesday morning story time, and providing information and assisting patrons from the youth services desk. The Tummy Time blog will also be updated by me.  I am really excited to be a part of the Bettendorf Library and looking forward to meeting (or seeing again those I have met) at our upcoming events.