Grammy's Words of Wisdom
(Ages 3 to 4)

 

Dear Parents, 

          As your three year old begins to talk and use short sentences, try to model descriptive words in his or her sentences.  For example if your child says, “See the truck.” you might respond with “That’s a big truck.” Or “That’s a red truck.”  Model the descriptor words for them when you can.  If your child points at objects instead of asking for them, always provide the word of the object as you give the object to them.  Your child may not start to use those words right away.  He or she will begin to understand what the words are as you use them.

           At this age, your child may have a favorite book.  It is OK to read that book over and over.  Talk about objects in the pictures or ask your child to find objects that are in the pictures.  As their vocabulary increases, you can ask, “What is this?” as you point to different objects in the pictures.  They will love to say the words once they know them.

           Your three year old will still not have a long attention span.  Try to select books with 1-3 sentences on a page.  The stories should still be quite simple.  You may want to read several stories in a session.  Continue to make story time as uninterrupted as possible.  Try to avoid having an older sibling read, unless they are a proficient reader.  The three year old will not want to wait for a beginning reader to figure out the words.

           At this time, you may want to take some photographs of close family members.  Make sure the photos are clear, spare copies, and at least 4x6 inches large.   If you glue these photos to a light card stock, you can turn the card stock into pages of a “Family Book”.  Make sure only one person’s picture is on each page.  Write just the name of each person under or next to each picture.  I think you will be surprised at how much you’ll child will enjoy this book and “read” it with or without you.  If you have close family members who live out of town, this activity will help your child see their picture and hear their name often.

           At this age children really enjoy books about animals.  Books with real photos showing animals are always popular.  This also helps them to build their vocabulary.  Your child may not be ready to sit and listen to a story yet.  They may enjoy seeing pictures of different kinds of farm animals, or zoo animals or pets.

           There are also a number of great books with no words in them.  You and your child can look at the pictures and make up your own “stories” with these books.

           It is always good at this age to start introducing different genres.  I have talked about stories, poems, nonfiction, but don’t forget magazines too.  There are a couple of magazines for young children.  These have lots of pictures and not a lot of print.  Grandparents or aunts and uncles are often willing to give the young child a subscription to these magazines for a gift.  The children love to get mail and are always interested in “reading “ their magazine.

           At this age your child may show an interest in “writing”.  “Writing” for them may be scribbles for you.  It is OK.  Help them by giving them good writing tools.  The fat pencils, fat crayons, and fat markers are always good.  Make sure their piece of paper is at least 8x11 or larger.  Another good medium for the younger child is a chalkboard.  A wall-mounted      chalkboard helps them to develop the right muscles in their arm to learn how to write.  Letting them use the big sidewalk chalk outside is another good way for them to practice writing at this age.  When they are done “writing”, ask them to tell you what their picture is all about.  That will show them that print has meaning.

           This can be a frustrating year for your child, as their vocabulary and sentence structure begins to develop.  Don’t give up!  Take the time to read and speak to them.  Allow them to express themselves to you.  Let them read, write and speak to you also.  Remember that when they took their first steps you cheered them on and they tried walking again.  The same thing is true for reading, writing, and speaking.  Encourage them to “read”, “write”, and “speak” to you.  Then cheer them on as they try again.