"Tail" Letters

Anyone have a two year old in the house?  Then you know how resistant they are to direction!  They know how to do it (whatever it is) and they’ll have the last word in any situation (usually "no").

Fun opportunities to sing and be sung to, talk and be listened to, read and be read to, are the best ways into a two year olds’ heart. I saw a great example of this at 2 year-old Julian's birthday party.  Julian loves to dance . . .  move it, groove it! 

Movement and shapes help children begin to learn about the alphabet.  For example, Julian is learning about movement: how dancing in a circle is different from jumping up and down.  He is learning about shapes: how a big, round balloon is different than a long, skinny balloon.  Children learn about letters by learning about shapes. Help your child turn the long, furry tails of stuffed animals into different letters – J, L, O, and S are great ‘tail’ letters.  Your child will even begin to shape sticks, cloth, or other random objects into letters once she understands how to build them from straight lines and curves.

Ask at your public library for alphabet books that your child will enjoy.  Here are some great ones from Mid-Columbia Libraries’ collection:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom By Martin, Bill, Jr. Joint Author Archambault, John Illustrator Ehlert, Lois 1989-10 - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 9780671679491 Check Our Catalog "Bright color . . . crisp . . . stylized shapes . . . This book begs to be read aloud."--"Booklist, " starred review. 1990 ALA Notable Children's Book; 1990 "Boston Globe/Horn Book" Honor Book; 1990 "Parents' Choice" Honor Book for Story Books; 1990 IRA/CBC Children's Choice Book. Full color. …More

Bunny Cakes By Wells, Rosemary 1999-06 - Viking Books 9780670886869 Check Our Catalog For Grandma's birthday, Max wants to make her an earthworm cake. His sister Ruby is going to make an angel surprise cake with raspberry-fluff icing. When Grandma ends up with two cakes, guess which one she'll eat first? …More

T Is for Terrible By McCarty, Peter Illustrator McCarty, Peter 2004-08 - Henry Holt & Company 9780805074048 Check Our Catalog Tyrannosaurus Rex is a terrible dinosaur. But is he really so terrible? With droll humor in both the text and illustrations by the Caldecott Honoree, this story of an introspective dinosaur shows why dinosaurs are the obsession of children everywhere. Full color. …More

Old Black Fly By Aylesworth, Jim Illustrator Gammell, Stephen 1992-04 - Henry Holt & Company 9780805014013 Check Our Catalog "Old black fly's been buzzin' around and he's had a very busy bad day". There's an old black fly. There's a family. And there's a hot summer day. One of them has to go. Aylesworth's rhyming words--with their shout-aloud refrain--move as fast as the fly, and Gammell's explosive art is unforgettable. Full-color illustrations. …More