Where Is the Rocket?

In Harriet Ziefert’s new, gorgeously illustrated book, Where Is the Rocket?, a little girl falls asleep and dreams about the rocket hanging from her mobile. She and her rocket go on some rather interesting adventures, involving outer space, an alligator, a bird-filled tree, and even a whale. Though their escapades are fun, my favorite part of this book is its use of positional words. Near, far, through, top, bottom, and behind are just some of these words mentioned and illustrated in this soon-to-be-favorite book. If that wasn’t enough to sell you, the last page of the book poses questions for the reader, allowing you to practice using your newfound knowledge: “What’s in front of you? What’s behind you? What’s to your right? What’s to your left?” In learning positional words, this is perfect to use as an introduction or a refresher.

A...B...See?

Teaching letters to a child isn’t always the easiest of parental endeavors. In fact, it can be nearly impossible at times. Since kids learn differently, there’s no one, foolproof way to teach them. Hopefully, though, some of these tips will make your job a little easier:

- As you begin teaching letters, start with the first letter of your child’s name and then continue with the first letters of other meaningful words—mom, dad, your last name, siblings’ names, etc. Kids learn best when what they are learning relates to them.

-Rather than quizzing your child on letters in a book, point out different letters as you’re reading. Kids can pick up a lot through this method, and it’s far less stressful for them.

-As you go through the day, point out different letters you see (on road signs, at the store, on food labels, in books, etc.). Encourage your child to participate in finding letters, too. This is a great way to pass the time in the car.

-Feel free to skip around when reading alphabet books. They are great resources to help teach letters, but you don’t need to read them as you would a typical book. Try letting your child pick out which pages to read and discuss.

-Play a game in which you have your child think of words that start with a certain letter. Start with words that begin with the first sound in your child’s name, and go from there. Research indicates that it’s best to teach the name and sound of a letter together.

-Come in and check out our adorable alphabet table in the children’s room! Kids love singing the alphabet while walking around the table, pointing out the different letters (and we love watching it!).

-Find these books and more on our "All About the Alphabet" booklist:
 Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.
 ABC, Baby Me! by Susan Katz
 Take Care of Me from A to Z by Harriet Ziefert