The Role Parents Play in Their Child's Literacy & a Giveaway

Literacy begins at birth - some even say before birth. A recently released study discovered that the cries of newborns echo the patterns of their native languages.  This discovery supports the idea that in the womb, babies are learning their mother's voice and the nuances and inflection that comes with her language.

Babies are full of wonder and are carefully exploring the world around them from the moment that they open their eyes. Shapes and sounds are being absorbed and categorized, filed away to help them begin speaking, learning, and - eventually - reading. By 10 months, babies have learned phonemic awareness and then begin to develop their vocabulary at an astounding rate. Parents who actively read aloud to their child, interact with them in other ways, or provide educational toys are helping to expend their vocabulary and prepare them for reading.

THE GIVEAWAY:

To help our readers with their efforts at home, we contacted Ingenio Toys which has generously agreed to donate three of its fabulous products for us to giveaway to our readers. The first is their bilingual Alphabet Learning Puzzle. Reversible and color coded, this 27 piece puzzle is durable and extra-thick for little fingers. This product is most effective with parental involvement. As with most activities, parents should help the child put the puzzle together the first few times, taking care to point out the letters, making the letter sounds and encouraging their children to repeat or say the sounds with them. Perfect for preschoolers, this product is a great way to introduce el alfabeto and help prepare your child for school.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling us about some of the ways you as a parent or teacher are working to develop your child or student's literacy skills. The deadline to enter is Friday, April 9th. The winner will be announced next Saturday, April 10th.

And to increase your chances of winning, consider the following:

1.) Blog about Día and this giveaway and include the link to your post,

2.) Tweet about Día and this giveaway and include a link to your tweet,

3.) Become a fan of the LBBC,

4.) Subscribe to our feed through a reader or via e-mail.

Don't forget to let us know by posting a separate comment for each entry!

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This giveaway has now ended. Congratulations to Kelly!