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How reading aloud can help you bond with your kids and make them better readers

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It’s not always easy to convince kids that reading isn’t a chore. But reading aloud can help. Here are a few ways to help you find joy — and value — in reading aloud as a family.

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Writing SOS: Expert Answers to Family Questions About Writing

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Our Writing SOS experts answer your questions about writing motivation, handwriting, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, technology, and more. Reading SOS To learn from the experts on how to help your child with reading, see our Q&A video series Reading SOS. Click to jump ahead to each question and answe…

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Sing a Song

I am a Little Toad

Little Toad
I am a little toad.
Hopping down the road. (hop up and down)
Just listen to my song. (make ribbit noises)
I sleep all winter long (palms together on check)
When spring comes, I peep out, (peep behind hands)
and then I jump about (jump around)
and now I catch a fly (clap hands)
and now I wink my eye. (wink)
and now and then I hop. (hop)
and now and then I stop. (sit down)

Try This

Play leap frog with your child.

Read a Book

Here are two book recommendations for today. Check out the picture book collection at your local library, where there are lots of books to choose from! Find nearby libraries.

Surf's Up by Kwame Alexander; illustrated by Daniel Miyares

There's Nothing to Do! by Dev Petty; illustrated by Mike Boldt

Explore More

See the May Activity Calendar for many more fun, educational activities you and your child can do anytime!

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I am a Little Toad Little Toad I am a little toad. Hopping down the road. (hop up and down) Just listen to my song. (make ribbit noises) I sleep all winter long (palms together on check) When spring comes, I peep out, (peep behind hands) and then I jump about (jump around) and now I catch a fly (clap hands) and now I wink my eye.

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Are you the parent or teacher of a child with deaf-blindness or multiple disabilities? Are you looking for a community of families and teachers such as yours? Are you a professor or student at a university interested in connecting with others to share resources and strategies around literacy for learners with complex challenges? Are you an administrator looking for ways to improve literacy in your school systems? Then you are in the right place.

This site is for individuals interested in beginning or enhancing literacy instruction for children with combined vision and hearing loss. Its content is also designed to improve literacy instruction for children with multiple disabilities and other complex learning challenges. Our contributors include State Deaf Blind Project staff as well as teachers who want to give back to the field and help more families play a role in educating children with complex learning challenges. The instructional techniques and tips provided on this site are evidence based practices for increasing literacy skills.

It is recommended that you visit the Shifting the Perspective page for an explanation of literacy from a broader view. If you are looking for resources for a particular child, completing the Literacy Skills Checklist provides guidance in determining which area of the website will be most helpful.

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Literacy for Children with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss

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Are you the parent or teacher of a child with deaf-blindness or multiple disabilities? Are you looking for a community of families and teachers such as yours? Are you a professor or student at a university interested in connecting with others to share resources and strategies around literacy for learners with complex challenges?

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Sing alphabet songs-you can find some fun ones on YouTube!

Look for letters in environmental print (signs, packages, labels, book titles, etc)

Model how to write the letters in your child's name and encourage them to copy the letters

Play with magnetic letters to build words or match the first sound to pictures

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Phonemic Awareness Activities for Parents | Heggerty

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Sing alphabet songs-you can find some fun ones on YouTube!

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Helping Young English Learners at Home: Simple and Fun Activities to Strengthen Language Development

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Resources for Children

REACH OUT AND READ E-BOOKS

Reach Out and Read is pleased to provide online books for families during these isolating times. We are grateful to our good friend Dr. John Hutton for making these books available.

Dogs, written by Dr. John Hutton and illustrated by Doug Cenko

Sherm the Germ, written by Dr. John Hutton and illustrated by Maria Montag

Sleepy Solar System, written by Dr. John Hutton and illustrated by Doug Cenko

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Learn at Home

Wide Open School, a collection of online learning experiences and activities for kids curated by the editors at Common Sense Media

Our partners at Scholastic have created a free Learn at Home environment with day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing.

Switcheroozoo - Watch, listen, and play games to learn all about amazing animals.

Sesame Street - Find a variety of games, coloring pages, videos, and learning resources

StarFall - Fun activities for Pre-k and younger to practice literacy, emerging phonics and reading at home.

Fun Brain - Play games while practicing math and reading skills.

Talk, Read, and Sing together every day - Resource guide for families from the Department of Education

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Virtual Reading, Entertainment and Adventures

Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices, ALSC and Netflix partner up for a collection of 12 episodes featuring prominent Black celebrities and artists reading children's books from Black authors. Watch for Free at Netflix Jr. YouTube page.

Unite For Literacy provides free digital access to picture books narrated in many languages.

Hair Love, by Matthew Cherry is a 7 minute animated short film that centers around the relationship between an African-American father, Stephen, his daughter, Zuri and her hair.

#ReadTogether with Reach Out and Read, videos of reading aloud

Érase una vez, Once Upon a Time - children's stories read in Spanish

Digitized editions of more than 4,600 children's books in 59 languages are available to read online at the International Children's Digital Library

Online Read Alouds - by The Big List of Children's Authors

Open Culture - 200 freeresources available for download

Storyline Online - streams videos featuring actors reading children's books

The StoryTime Family - videos ranging from bedtime stories to stories about social skills and emotions

Brightly Storytime videos: Books read aloud for children ages 2-5 years old

Kid Lit TV - features reading aloud, children's podcasts, activities and more

Save with Stories - Celebrities having fun reading stories on Instagram

Panda Cam at Zoo Atlanta

Georgia Aquarium's Ocean Voyager webcam

San Diego Zoo Live Cams

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Early Literacy Resources in Spanish

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Screen-Free Activities

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Resources for Children REACH OUT AND READ E-BOOKS Reach Out and Read is pleased to provide online books for families during these isolating times. We are grateful to our good friend Dr. John Hutton for making these books available.

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Written especially for parents, Growing Readers provides monthly tips for raising strong readers and writers. All of our tip sheets are available in English and Spanish.

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Sign up to receive news and information about reading, writing, learning disabilities, children's books and authors, and national education issues. All Reading Rockets publications are available at no cost. See the current edition of our newsletter > * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name Zip Code Our newsletters Reading Rockets Monthly Newsletter A monthly e-newsletter about reading for parents and educators.

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1/13/2020
The Day By Day Ohio Family Literacy Calendar is a tool families, caregivers, educators and librarians can use at home, the library, on the go and in the classroom. The calendar has monthly themes that highlight videos, suggested books, songs and activities for each day. In addition, information about family health and wellness, literacy, and creativity and ideas for exploring Ohio are easily accessible on the website.

Day By Day Ohio offers resources to further develop early literacy skills that help young children prepare for and improve in school. Children enjoy fun, positive learning experiences like Day by Day Ohio that support school success and, ultimately, lifelong learning.

Day by Day Ohio is a service of the State Library of Ohio in collaboration with Ohio Ready to Read and is funded, in part, by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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State Library of Ohio launches family literacy activity calendar

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1/13/2020 The Day By Day Ohio Family Literacy Calendar is a tool families, caregivers, educators and librarians can use at home, the library, on the go and in the classroom. The calendar has monthly themes that highlight videos, suggested books, songs and activities for each day.

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Texting Tips for Families

To receive useful information for families with children in preschool through elementary school text OHED EL to 468311 and for useful information for families of middle and high school students text OHED HS to 468311.

Sign up to receive Family and Community Engagement newsletter.

Active, involved parents are an essential resource for Ohio's schools in making the most of every child's educational experience, from pre-kindergarten all the way through high school. This page has information you can use to help guide your child's education.
Connecting learning and your child's future What is the progress of my school/district in teaching my child and others? Types of education in Ohio for my child Where can I find support and help for my child? Getting involved in your child's education Third Grade Reading Guarantee What my child is learning Practice tests What is the progress of my school/district in teaching my child and others? Types of education in Ohio for my child Connecting learning and your child's future Where can I find support and help for my child? Getting involved in your child's education What my child is learning Practice tests What is the progress of my school/district in teaching my child and others? Types of education in Ohio for my child Connecting learning and your child's future Where can I find support and help for my child? Getting involved in your child's education What my child is learning Graduation Information Practice tests Types of education in Ohio for my child Connecting learning and your child's future Where can I find support and help for my child?

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To receive useful information for families with children in preschool through elementary school text OHED EL to 468311 and for useful information for families of middle and high school students text OHED HS to 468311. Sign up to receive Family and Community Engagement newsletter.

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The Ohio Department of Education aims to increase student achievement through improving language and literacy outcomes for all students. A successful language and literacy framework is built on five interrelated components-teacher capacity, shared leadership, multi-tiered systems of support, parent partnerships and community collaboration.

The Riverside Elementary Case Study examines how one building in Ohio turned around their literacy instruction to ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn to read.

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The Ohio Department of Education aims to increase student achievement through improving language and literacy outcomes for all students. A successful language and literacy framework is built on five interrelated components-teacher capacity, shared leadership, multi-tiered systems of support, parent partnerships and community collaboration.

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Home — Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio

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The Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library wants to ensure every child has access to books from the moment they are born so that kids are entering kindergarten prepared to succeed inside the classroom and beyond.