THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION!

Dec 042009
 

 by Esther Jantzen, guest poster 

Kids have lots of different reasons for asking questions. Sometimes they want attention or they want to argue with the family rules. Sometimes they are seeking new information and understanding, and those are excellent questions to encourage.

The trick is to notice thoughtful questions when they are asked, and praise children for them with a response like, “That’s a great question!” If you can answer those questions right away, do that. But sometimes you don’t know the answer or the timing is not appropriate. Be sure to remember those questions and answer them later. Here is a way to do this:

1. One of the best ways to get your child to ask good questions is to ask thoughtful questions yourself.

Here are some examples.

Ask “I wonder” questions:

  • How does it work?
  • What came before this? Why?  
  • Ask “Do I believe it?” questions:
  • Where did this information come from?
  • Is it based on facts?

Ask values questions:

  • Is this honest?
  • Is this helpful?
  • Does this hurt anyone?
  • Is it fair?

Ask questions that encourage creativity:

  • What can we do with this information?
  • How could we solve that problem?

2. When your children ask thoughtful questions like these above, praise them with a comment like, “That is an interesting thing to wonder about!”

3. This activity can be done any time, anywhere. The more often you do it, the more comfortable both you and the children will become, and the better questions you will each ask.

 

Esther Jantzen, Ed.D, is a mother, an educator and the author of Plus It! How to Easily Turn Everyday Activities into Learning Adventures for Kids available at www.plusitbook.com and the Way to Go! Family Learning Journal available through www.jantzenbooks.com

READ A PICTURE

Nov 202009
 

by Esther Jantzen, guest poster

We can get lots of information from the pictures we see in ads, signs, books, billboards, and television. Often children don’t know the names for things they see. Naming things in pictures is a great way to build vocabulary.

Children enjoy being asked what they think about what they see. Just listen to their ideas, whether they are reasonable or not. It helps them develop thinking and observation skills. Here are some ways to do it:

1) When you open a book with pictures, have your children look first at the pictures before you read. Ask them to tell you what they see. Sometimes you can explore a whole book through pictures. Here are some ways you could ask questions:

  • What do you see here?
  • What might this story be about?
  • What is happening here?
  • What can you tell about characters from looking at their face or posture? 
  • Are they happy or sad? Angry or calm?
  • Would you like to be in this picture? 

2) Take a food wrapper that has a picture or illustration  like a bag from a fast-food restaurant, or a macaroni box, a canned good, or a cereal box. Ask the children what they see in the picture or on the box. Ask them to name the things in the picture on the box.

  • Does the picture make you want to eat what’s inside?
  • What colors are used in the picture?
  • Does this look like our house or our family?

Then compare several different labels or boxes.

  • Which boxes are most attractive?
  • Which do you like best?
  • See if there are people or animals in the pictures. Are those people smiling?
  • See if there are plants in the pictures. 
  • How are the pictures the same? How are they different?
  • What color is the lettering?
  • Can you tell what’s inside without reading the words?
  • What would you put on a box? 

3) Look out a window, any window, with a child. Pretend that what you see is a picture in a frame. Ask them to name 15 things they see out that window. This simple activity develops attention to detail and can help them in their own drawing or writing.

Send us your read a picture ideas!

 

Esther Jantzen, Ed.D, is a mother, an educator and the author of Plus It! How to Easily Turn Everyday Activities into Learning Adventures for Kids available at www.plusitbook.com and the Way to Go! Family Learning Journal available through www.jantzenbooks.com

USE ANOTHER WORD

Nov 062009
 

by Esther Jantzen, guest poster

 This game can be played anywhere, anytime, for as long as it feels fun! It’s good when you are driving in the car, walking to school, eating supper, reading together, or just relaxing. It’s a synonym game. A synonym is another word for something. For instance, “lad” is a synonym for “boy.” Learning new synonyms can really build a child’s vocabulary rapidly!

Here are some ways to play this synonym game:

1) When you are reading a book to a child and come across a word for a feeling like “happy” or “sad,” see if you or the child can think of another word that means the same thing like “joyful” or “tearful.” 

2) When you are driving or walking, see how many words you and the children can think of to describe actions that some animal might do. For example, if you see a dog running on a sidewalk, ask, “What is another word for “run”? Some possibilities might be “sprint,” “dash,” “lope, “jog,” or “scamper.”

3) Say to your child, “I’m thinking of another word for ___. Can you guess what it is?” For example  “I’m thinking of another word for “fast.” Can you guess what it is?” The answer might be “speedy, “quick”, “swift,” or “rapid.” It’s fine to give hints like, “The word I’m thinking of rhymes with _____ “or “It starts with…” 

4) When you’re watching television or listening to the radio, pick some word you hear and see if you can find a few different ways to say it (during a commercial, of course).

 

Esther Jantzen, Ed.D, is a mother, an educator and the author of Plus It! How to Easily Turn Everyday Activities into Learning Adventures for Kids available at www.plusitbook.com and the Way to Go! Family Learning Journal available through www.jantzenbooks.com

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