Every Child Ready to Read~ Singing

Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) is a national initiative from the American Library Association.  ECRR is a learning model to showcase skills and activities to help build literacy skills for young children.  We follow this model at the Grafton-Midview Public Library and would like to share some  activities and resources with you!  For more information on Every Child Ready to Read, here are some sites for you to peruse:
Ohio Every Child Ready to Read, Early Literacy Crosswalk offers a basic overview of what Every Child Ready to Read is all about.  They also have another site to discover the second edition of ECRR and sample activities for each skill and activity.


We don't want to overload you with information all at once, so each week we will focus on a new  activity outline in ECRR.  This week we wanted to share some resources for bringing music alive. Singing is an excellent way for children to hear the sounds that letters make.  When we sing, we naturally break up the words and slow down.  We also hear new words and learn new vocabulary when we sing.

A wonderful resource for songs and rhymes is the StoryBlocks site, a project of Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy.  The site offers an assortment of videos or parents and their children acting out songs and lap bounces, while offering up a literacy tip.  The King County Library System has put together an incredible selection of youtube videos of songs and rhymes to share.  The Association for Library Service to Children has a nice variety of songs and rhymes to share with young children. Kidz in Tune has a ten-page list of songs and activities that are appropriate for different age levels.  New York's Wadsworth Library created a handout for their books and babies program with songs and their movements.  A favorite site of mine is the Idaho Commission for Libraries' Day by Day site.  Each day of the year has a selection of songs, videos, rhymes, and books to share.   

 
Finding books you can set to music is another way to get kids to hear the sounds that words make.  I like to share Lindsey Craig's Farmyard Beat with rhythm sticks.  Sue Williams' I Went Walking lends itself well to being sung.


Jim Gill and Raffi are amazing educators and music men that have a great variety of songs that get the whole family involved.  Check out our collection of music today at GMPL. We also offer a variety of programming for young children that gets participants moving to the music.  Lap bounces and songs are a fantastic way to bond while building literacy skills. Do you have a favorite activity that gets you jammin'?