Milwaukee Public Library’s beautiful Centennial Hall offered a stellar setting for the Reading for Our Lives launch party. An anchor institution in our community, the library lives its vision to build healthy families and vibrant neighborhoods every day by helping people read, learn, and connect. It offers a wonderful children’s book collection, countless online resources for families, and stellar local outreach programs—including the award-winning Ready to Read initiative, which gives hundreds of infants and toddlers the early literacy support and experiences they need. Celebrating the launch of a book about nurturing the next generation of readers in partnership with the library made perfect sense.
Milwaukee as a city was also a fitting location for the book launch because Wisconsin features the nation’s largest gap in academic success between black and white children. When I was a new mom more than a decade ago, news reports about disparities like these first sparked my curiosity about how reading unfolds and why so many black children never attained the levels of literacy they needed to thrive. I sought answers by scouring academic literature, reading curricula, state learning standards, government reports. I talked to teachers, tutors, and parents in the thick of raising readers, as well as researchers immersed in exploring its underpinnings. I served on school, library, and literacy nonprofit boards; volunteered in early-learning programs; and developed databases of research and instructional techniques. I learned a great deal, much of which I share in Reading for Our Lives to help all parents do what we can to foster reading development.
At the launch party, I was heartened to see the room filled with parents, teachers, librarians, and community members of all stripes, united around the idea of supporting families and the next generation of readers in their care. The program included introductory remarks from Milwaukee Public Library Director Joan Johnson and Boswell Books owner Daniel Goldin, a reading by me from the book, an inspiring and informative conversation with Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, audience questions, and a book signing. Attendees enjoyed the gorgeous festive atmosphere, food, flowers, and decor elements curated by Cheri Davis of Cheri Denise Events. I hope the occasion inspired fresh engagement, collaboration, and enthusiasm for helping children and families thrive from day one. More than anywhere in this nation, Milwaukee desperately needs more people to understand the urgency of literacy and the power we all hold to foster it.
Five Memorable Quotes from the Reading for Our Lives Launch Party
The science that I discuss in the book reveals that those early interactions are so critical. That the back-and-forth exchanges with infants and toddlers really do have a direct impact on their literacy and life trajectories years down the road, if we can simultaneously be present in the moment and also recognize that we have this enormous power to impact the future. —Maya Payne Smart
There’s so much growth and development and connections that are formed in those early years. And the mechanism for those connections is nurturing relationships with caregivers. Literally by talking to a baby, asking questions—even if they’re answering with coos and babbles and not words yet, it’s still a really powerful interaction—that’s how they grow and learn. —Maya Payne Smart
I think parenting of infants, or probably all kids on some level, is a lot like improv. You’re just trying to work with what you get there. —Dr. Dipesh Navsaria
One of the things that I love to do with four- and five-year-olds is to show them the cover of [a] book and ask them how many letters they can identify. And the difference between two children of the same age, one who’s been exposed to all these things and one who hasn’t, in terms of letter recognition is astounding. —Dr. Dipesh Navsaria
What I tell parents is we—and this is something I struggle with as well—we have to be mindful of our own technology use, because we’re the ones that are modeling it for kids. Every time you reach for that phone, create a little mindfulness practice of taking a breath, asking yourself, do you even need to touch your phone in that moment? Because if we are not distracted, we can better engage with the child and we can be the thing that stops them from screaming in the restaurant or whatever the situation is. I think it all starts with us, really. —Maya Payne Smart
The Women’s Storybook Project of Texas passed out small packs of tissues as table favors at its latest fundraiser, because there’s seldom a dry eye in the house when the organization describes how it fosters family reading across time, distance, and incarceration. The nonprofit serves children whose mothers are in prison by sending books to the kids, along with recordings of their mothers reading them aloud.
The effort, fueled by a small staff and a corps of volunteers, strengthens the mother-child connection and motivates moms to stay out of prison after their release. I spoke with Jill Gonzalez, executive director of Women’s Storybook Project of Texas, about how it works, why it’s a difference-maker for kids, families, and society—and why we should all treasure the chance to read to kids.
Maya Smart: Hi Jill, thanks so much for being with me today. I'm so excited to chat about Women's Storybook Project, an organization that's near and dear to my heart from the years I spent in Austin, when I had the opportunity to meet you and also to attend some of your fundraising events. I just wanted to start by talking about how important reading aloud with children, and to children, is for all families. I know sometimes, among my readership, parents can feel like it's a chore, they get tired at the end of a long day and don't really appreciate it for the wonderful opportunity that it is to connect, spend time, nurture relationships, and make memories. I know that is not the case with the women who participate in your program. They're not taking the opportunity to read to children for granted. Can you tell us a bit about the organization and the women it serves?
Jill Gonzalez:
Sure. Thank you. I’m really happy to be here today. At the Women’s Storybook Project of Texas, we work for the children of incarcerated mothers. We want to be able to connect them to their mothers through the power of literature, because Texas is a really big state and it’s hard to visit. If your mom is incarcerated, you don’t get to talk to her often or visit her often.
It’s imperative that we keep families connected. The research shows that Mom’s voice is as strong as an embrace and that families who stay connected, actually, the moms have a better chance of staying out of prison when they leave.
So, we have volunteers who go to prisons every month, and moms apply for our program. If they have 60 days’ good behavior, children between the ages of 0 and 14, and permission to contact them, then they’re offered the program. Every month they come in, we talk about reading and the importance of reading, and then they choose a book for each child.
Once they’ve chosen the book, they have reading time, and we record them on a little digital recorder. When they’re done, they can write a message of love in the book, and they can also give it on the recording. We send those books and the recording to the child every month.
Maya Smart: I love what you said about emphasizing that the program is for children, because the name of the organization obviously has women in it, and you're thinking about the mothers who are incarcerated, but the children, of course, have committed no crime, yet they're deprived of this critical relationship with their mothers. Can you talk about the age range that you serve and the importance of that connection, whether a child is 2 or 12?
Jill Gonzalez:
Sure. There are some mothers who even give birth while they’re in prison. So, we’re reading to babies very young. From 0, 2 months, 6 months, 9 months, all the way until 14. We used to serve up to age 12 and the mothers requested, “please let us keep reading, because our children really need us right now.” So now we go through 14.
And I can’t overemphasize the importance of Mom’s voice and the ability to hear a favorite story, whether it’s Mom’s favorite or the child’s favorite. Because we hear all the time from moms, “I’ve never gotten to read to my child.” Maybe they weren’t able to before they were incarcerated. Or “I haven’t read to my child in five years.”
Mom records four stories, one each time. But the child can listen to that book a hundred times. So, hearing Mom is very emotional, but it’s a message of love. It’s someone saying “I love you” through a book.
And that’s something that I know parents get tired, and I know they memorize the books and the kids tell them when they’ve skipped a page, but it’s such a gift to be able to share books with your children, because every book makes a new memory, and it’s natural for them to get stuck on one.
Maya Smart: Talk a bit also about the caregivers, the people who are living day in and day out with the child whose parent is incarcerated. Have you heard from them about the power of the program, and do you know if it influences the frequency or interest in reading among the caregivers?
Jill Gonzalez:
We have heard from caregivers. Caregivers can be aunts and uncles, grandparents, foster parents, whoever happens to have been chosen to be the caregiver. This often gives the caregiver a little break.
The caregiver hopefully is reading to that child every night. And, even if they’re not able to, when Mom sends a book and a tape, or a book and a recording, it’s a chance for the child to hear a story that they love or that Mom loves, and a chance for the [grandparent] caregiver to also hear their sons or—sorry, their daughter’s voice. That can change relationships, because there’s been a lot of hurt when someone has been incarcerated. Sometimes those relationships are damaged.
We’ve gotten emails and letters from caregivers that say, “It really touched my heart when my daughter recorded for my grandkids, because I didn’t think she cared. Yes, we talk to her, but this really shows she cares. That helped us to start calling her or helped us to start visiting.” It can change relationships, knowing that someone is trying to do something good for their family.
Maya Smart: The moms have to go through a process. You touched on it a bit earlier, but could you explain more about how the moms sign up for the program—what they have to do?
Jill Gonzalez:
Sure. So moms, they have an application and they fill out the application. On the application, they have to state that they’ve had 90 days case-free, or good behavior.
Then we check the children, because Mom may have children from, you know, 7 to 18, but she’s not able to read to the 18-year-old, but she’ll read to the 7 and 9-year-old. So, we check the ages of the children, and then we’re very careful to make sure that there’s no CPS cases involved, that none of the children have been a victim, because we don’t want to cause any trauma to a child that’s already been through trauma. So, it is a program that moms have to work to get into.
Maya Smart: Can you talk about the benefits of the program? You've talked about the benefits for the child, for the mom, for the caregivers. But if we take a step back and look bigger-picture at all of society, how does maintaining that mother-child relationship affect recidivism and other things?
Jill Gonzalez:
When you have the ability to affect the relationship between a mother and a child, it’s hugely important that you take it. Whether it’s a field trip to see parents, which some other nonprofits do, or the opportunity to bond with books. Whatever gives you a chance to make that relationship stronger and better is going to serve the whole world.
We know that in mass incarceration, many times the offenses are trauma-related or addiction-related. The crimes that women have been accused of are not against their children. There are many views on the incarceration of so many women, but it’s really paramount that we try and help the women who are already incarcerated stay in contact with their families and keep those relationships strong.
How better to do that [than] through a book? Because sometimes when you’re talking to a child, and you know this, [it’s like] “Hi, how was your day?” “Fine.” [laughs] There’s nothing to talk about.
Well, when you have a book, it gives you something to talk about. We have a large instance of when Mom comes the first time, she often picks a nostalgic book, something that she’s already read to the kids, whether it be Goodnight Moon or Skippyjon Jones, or Full, Full, Full of Love. She’s already read the book to the child, but she’ll send it and read it again to reestablish that connection.
And the kids respond and they say, “Hey Mom, it was really great, I loved the book. Do they have any Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Or do they have any Junie B. Jones?” Or just things that the child is interested. But that’s just as important, because the child is being heard, and that’s super important, because I think children of incarceration are generally not heard.
Maya Smart: Can you talk about some of the books that are popular? You mentioned nostalgic titles. I think the title of one book was Invisible String when you did a fundraiser. Can you describe that book and the special place that it has for families?
Jill Gonzalez:
There are quite a few books now that are about the mom-child connection. Even back to Runaway Bunny, was a classic about kids. My nephew’s favorite was I Love You Stinky Face. It was, “I’ll always love you no matter what, even if you have a stinky face or even if you’re a monster.”
Our book—The Invisible String is our signature book. It’s by Patrice Karst. Patrice is an author who lives in California, and she wrote this book for her son. The story is, essentially, there are two children who wake up during a storm and they go out to their mother, and they say they’re scared. She says, “Well, you don’t ever have to be scared, because we’re always connected.”
And she explains to them—and she takes her fingers and shows them the invisible string—that “you and I are always connected, because the invisible string is love.” And she makes the heart, and it’s beautiful. They start asking questions, “Well, does it go with me when I go to school, and does it go with me when I’m visiting someone else? And can it reach grandma?”
It’s a lovely, lovely book about connection and really makes the point for moms that “it doesn’t matter where I am, doesn’t matter where you are, we’re still connected by love.”
Maya Smart: Another book that I know has been mentioned at a fundraiser of yours is Prison Baby. So that one is a memoir. Tell us a bit about [the author] and her story.
Jill Gonzalez:
Sure. We were very privileged this year to have Deborah Jiang-Stein, from Minneapolis, come and speak at our luncheon. Deborah was born in prison, and she has written a memoir called Prison Baby and explains her journey.
She actually said at the luncheon, she spent the first year in her mom’s cell, and some people think that’s tragic, but she thought, “Well, what a wonderful gift, because I had a full year of bonding and my mom telling me stories and reading me books.”
Then, of course, she couldn’t stay and she was adopted out. She didn’t know she was adopted until her preteen years. Then she found paperwork that explained this to her, and that caused a lot of trauma. Because she knew she was different from the other kids, but she didn’t know why. Then, when she found out, she felt ashamed, and she wasn’t vocal enough to talk to anybody about it. So that caused her own trauma.
As she realized, she said she had a family that was very supportive with books and the arts, but she wasn’t ready for the care that they wanted to give her. She went through high school and college exploration and really came to a turning point in her life, when she decided she wanted to be positive and do something positive with her life.
So she started The unPrison Project, and she speaks to incarcerated women about hope. That there’s always hope, and there’s always another chance. You’re not a failure just because you have a sentence, and you are not your sentence. It was very powerful. The book is very powerful, but it was very powerful to hear her speak in person, because she says, “I am a story of hope, I’m also a story of devastation, but the more important story is the story of hope.”
Maya Smart: Can you tell viewers how they can support your work, how they can participate in spreading that message of hope to children and to families and to mothers?
Jill Gonzalez:
The best way you can support literacy is to read to your children even when you’re tired, even when you’ve had a bad day. Take the five minutes. Maybe you have to say, “No, we’re not reading three books tonight, it’s just one,” but make sure you read one.
And keep it up, don’t stop when they’re seven, don’t stop when they start reading, because they can understand so much more than they can read. You can read your seven-year-old a book on a fourth-grade level, and they’ll love it, because they’re listening and not reading.
How you can support Women’s Storybook Project—we serve women in Texas because we are in Texas, but the children are all over the country and sometimes all over the world. Last year we served, I believe, 110 counties in Texas and 18 different states.
We take financial donations. We love to have volunteers sign up. If you’re available in Texas, that’s great. And if you’re not, we have remote opportunities for volunteers, whether that be in database management or marketing and communications or curriculum development.
We’d love to have you get involved, because the whole process of connecting children and families through books to their parents is just so life-giving, and there’s nothing bad about it.
Maya Smart: Well, thank you so much for your time, Jill, it was great to connect.
Jill Gonzalez:
Thank you. Thank you so much, have a great day.
Recommended Reads
Here are titles Jill Gonzalez noted during her interview with Maya.
Picture Books that Support Mother-Child Connection:
Invisible String by Patrice Karst, illustrated by Geoff Stevenson
Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt, illustrated by Cyd Moore
Teen/Young Adult:
As a parent, the time you spend with your child—reading aloud, chatting, and interacting in countless ways—is pivotal in helping them learn to read and thrive as a reader, writer, and thinker. From teaching your child the alphabet to playing rhyming games, you instill crucial knowledge and skills through fun, playful time together. And the best part is that it all builds your relationship, too—and can even help you feel happier and more fulfilled.
That’s why we’ve developed Smart Story Time, a monthly feature designed to make it easy to find new ways to read and connect with young kids around literacy. Each month, we’ll be sharing a mix of featured reads and literacy activities. Expect fun seasonal reading recommendations that are ideal for reading aloud, complemented with activity tutorials and free printables for an all-out story time experience with your little one.
Enjoy!
Got recommendations or requests for a future Smart Story Time? Message Maya!
Featured Books for Kids: Martin Luther King, Jr. Picture Books
There are hundreds of books dedicated to exploring the life, dreams, and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. So how’s a parent to choose which books are best to explore with their child?
Read Maya’s article, Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. with These 9 Thought-Provoking Books, to get tips for finding the right-fit book to deepen your child’s knowledge of King’s legacy and the American history it so vividly illustrates. You’ll also find specifics about some great kids’ reads. Or check out one of these top picks:
- Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
- A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein
Featured Reading Activity: Word Snowmen
Whether it snows in your area or not, nothing says winter like making snowpeople! So for this month’s featured activity, we’re making paper “snow” families that teach kids reading skills and make cute decorations for your home. All you need for this easy activity is 15 minutes and some basic materials.
Early childhood educator Chrysta Naron created this cute winter craft to teach kids word families—groups of rhyming words that share the same ending (both the spelling and pronunciation). For example, the “-op” rhyming word family includes words like hop, top, and pop. Word families help kids learn spelling patterns that make it easier to read and write new, related words.
Activity: Make Word Family Snowmen
Book Pairing: Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner and illustrated by Mark Buehner, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, A Big Bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin, Snowballs by Lois Ehlert, or any favorite snow-related book. Look for word families as you read!
Featured Printables: Family Reading Inspiration
If any of your New Year’s resolutions involve encouraging more reading around your house or building more connection and joyful special memories with your kids, you’ll want to check out these special printables designed to inspire family reading.
(Note: If you’re not a member already, you’ll need to sign up for the FREE MayaSmart.com VIP Vault of resources for Very Intentional Parents. Don’t worry—it takes two minutes and doesn’t cost a cent!)
Family Reading Journal: Create a sweet record of what your kids love to read with this free printable reading journal. Inside, you’ll find a cover ready for coloring and journal pages with room to jot down your reflections, note favorite quotes, and rate each book.
Inspirational Bookmarks: Celebrate the power of reading with 10 free printable bookmarks, each featuring a parent-author reflecting on the joys of family reading.
New to MayaSmart.com?
Welcome! It’s lovely to have you here. I’m Maya, an author, literacy advocate, and mom. On this site, I publish articles, advice, book recommendations, and activities for busy parents. Through it all, my goal is to help parents like you feel equipped and confident to support your children in reading. Let’s start by understanding what you bring to the effort—your unique superpower.
Find your raise-a-reader superpower now.Know someone who’d enjoy Smart Story Time? Click below to share this post!
Happy December and welcome to this month’s edition of Smart Story Time!
We love sharing ideas and inspiration for fresh reading material for you and your child, as well as ways to mix literacy learning into your days together. From exposing them to print and teaching them letter sounds to introducing them to new subjects, vocabulary, and ideas, your interactions are crucial to helping them blossom as a reader. Enjoy!
Here are some reading suggestions to delve into with your child this month:
The Real Santa by Nancy Redd
What does Santa Claus really look like? Nancy Redd’s beautiful children’s book, The Real Santa, features one boy’s quest to find out. This volume, with its very special take on representation and its joyful spirit, is our top pick for Christmas reads for kids this year. It would make a great holiday gift, but don’t wait to share it with your child. You could get a copy at your local library to read aloud and save your own brand-new edition for Christmas morning.
Be sure to check out Maya’s chat with Nancy Redd about the book, the importance of representation in kids’ stories, and the behind-the-scenes process of creating a picture book. Nancy shares so much about how she came up with the story, what it means to her, and how a children’s author creates the books we all love to read.
Picture Books for the Holiday Season
Your local librarian or independent bookstore can help you find a wonderful and diverse selection of kids’ books related to any holiday that you want to celebrate or teach your kids about. You’ll find too many fabulous Christmas and Hanukkah books for us to list—plus a growing number of quality titles about Kwanzaa to help you mark or learn about this seven-day celebration with roots in the harvest festivals of Africa.
To get you started, though, early childhood educator Chrysta Naron put together a lovely list of Christmas and Kwanzaa books (plus one New Year’s read) by black authors, and Kwanzaa educator Jessica “Culture Queen” Hebron recommends five lovely Kwanzaa picture books to check out. Happy Holidays!
Holiday Recipes for Kids
Our Read With Me Recipe series features printable recipes that are easy for kids to make and read. Simple words and short sentences in an easy font set your little one up for reading success. Just print the recipe PDF and read it together as you cook. (We also share tips for using the recipes to maximize reading and learning in each recipe post.)
The idea is to make it easy for you to mix reading and writing into everyday life with your kids. This kind of “everyday literacy” is key to raising thriving readers. This holiday season, try our DIY christmas ornament recipe and latke recipe for kids.
Anything You & Your Child Love for Jolabokaflod
In Iceland, there’s a wonderful holiday tradition called Jolabokaflod, which means “Christmas book flood.” It’s all about giving, receiving, and reading books as a way to celebrate. Read all about it in this Jolabokaflod article and get tips for starting your family’s own book flood tradition.
Then browse our Kids Books section for ideas of great reads to add to your flood. We’ve got reading lists tailored to all kinds of interests, from sports to science, animals to humor to fantasy and imagination, and so much more.
We also have lists designed to support development of key literacy knowledge and social-emotional skills. For example, you’ll find recommended kids’ reads selected to foster body positivity and self-love and empathy, as well as to help kids deal with grief. On the skills side, you’ll find ABC books, titles that build print awareness in the youngest listeners, and picture books about starting school, among others.
We’ll be back next month with a new iteration of Smart Story Time, redesigned for the new year!
New to MayaSmart.com?
Welcome! It’s lovely to have you here. I’m Maya, an author, literacy advocate, and mom. On this site, I publish articles, advice, book recommendations, and activities for busy parents. Through it all, my goal is to help parents like you feel equipped and confident to support your children in reading. Let’s start by understanding what you bring to the effort—your unique superpower.
Happy November and welcome to this month’s edition of Smart Story Time!
Every month, we curate some of our best recommendations for timely topics to read about with your child, plus diverse picture books (and more) to delve into together. The goal is to give you plenty of ideas to keep your family reading time fresh and introduce your child to new subjects and vocabulary.
Check out this list, then head out to find some great new-to-you kids’ reads at your local library or independent bookstore. Here’s what we’re reading this month:
Thanksgiving Picture Books
What are you thankful for this year? We know what we’re giving thanks for: the shared joy of story time. When we cuddle up our little ones and enjoy a pile of books together, we make priceless memories to cherish every day. This month, we’re building memories and gratitude by reading thoughtful books about Thanksgiving and the concepts we want it to embody for our families. There are so many aspects of the holiday to explore, from history and inclusiveness to giving thanks, the value of simple time with loved ones, and—of course—cooking.
Think about what matters to you and then seek out some recommendations from your local librarian or bookstore owner. Also try these Thanksgiving picture-book picks from Chrysta Naron (click the link and scroll down to learn more): The Thankful Book by Todd Parr and Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet, plus some wonderful books by and about Indigenous Americans (more on this below!).
Bonus:
- Tutorial: Teach kids gratitude and spelling with adorable paper-chain animals
- Free printable: DIY turkey letter-matching game
Kids’ Books By and About Indigenous Americans
We advocate including books by and about Indigenous Americans in your child’s book rotation all year long, but interest naturally peaks in November. Your child may have questions about the origin of Thanksgiving or the history they’ve heard about in school and elsewhere. The holiday also offers an entry point into the topic for children.
Read this post about how to choose great reads to introduce Indigenous American authors and stories to your little one, and then be sure to scroll down in the post to find recommendations of some excellent books to get you started. Also check out Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac—you’ll find a write-up of this one near the bottom of the Favorite Picture Books for Fall Holidays post!
Books to Set the Scene for Fun with Relatives
This time of year often brings a whole bunch of family time, frequently including visits with extended family. Big gatherings and family meals. Going to stay with relatives, or hosting them at our homes. And gathering and reconnecting with loved ones near and far, within and across generations, is a source of great joy. It can also represent an upheaval: sharing space, dealing with differences, and getting along with others, to name a few. Not to mention handling a bunch of extra noise and chaos on the one hand and different rules or expectations on the other.
As with just about any subject under the sun, we believe that sharing a book is among the absolute best ways to broach this topic with your kids. A great story can simultaneously validate children’s feelings while gently helping them see how to resolve, accept, or evolve them. The truly great ones will even help us parents, too. Read this post to get some tips for using picture books to prepare your child for time with extended family, and help tip the scales away from stress and towards joy for your family this holiday season.
And (Always) Books Your Child Loves
In addition to reading books that tackle timely topics or important subjects, be sure to follow your child’s interests, as well. If your kid loves sports, science or animals, read plenty of books on those topics to keep them engaged and help you build a close, responsive relationship. Check out our other kids’ book lists and articles for curated reading lists on various topics.
We’ll be back next month with the next installment of Smart Story Time. Meanwhile, feel free to message Maya with requests for future posts, book recommendations, or just to say hi!
New to MayaSmart.com?
Welcome! It’s lovely to have you here. I’m Maya, an author, literacy advocate, and mom. On this site, I publish articles, advice, book recommendations, and activities for busy parents. Through it all, my goal is to help parents like you feel equipped and confident to support your children in reading. Let’s start by understanding what you bring to the effort—your unique superpower.
What unique words or funny sayings has your child come out with? Share them on social media and tag Maya Smart (scroll down for social media links) or email them to Maya!
When Maya Angelou said that a writer has to “take the most used, most familiar objects—nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs—ball them together and make them bounce,” she could have just as easily been talking about children.
That’s because children make it their mission, as writers do, to play with language. It’s how they understand and learn it. And wordplay, like so many forms of play, comes naturally to them. Just listen to any three-year-old skitting their way through a made-up song. You’ll witness them bend and break linguistic rules, mash sounds together, alliterate, and create entirely new words with an unselfconscious fluidity to leave grown poets and writers in awe.
Long before they start understanding written words, wordplay helps children build vocabulary and improve phonological awareness—the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language, an important skill for literacy. And, perhaps most crucially, it also opens up the creative possibilities and joys of language. So, celebrate and encourage wordplay with your little ones, and they’ll soon be laughing and learning.
Not sure where to start? We’ve gathered together a few easy verbal wordplay ideas to build into your family’s daily life. Because they’re verbal, you can play them anywhere, anytime—in the car, at mealtimes, during everyday routines. There’s no need for props or pens (unless you want them and they add to the fun, of course). A bonus for book-lovers? Often there are ways to bring the games back to your shared reading. Try perusing old favorites with an eye for wordplay or extending story time with a game.
Note: One of the most satisfying things about wordplay is bending and breaking “rules.” So develop these games as you like, or to add more challenge for older kids. Even better: Make up your own (we’d love to hear your suggestions)! Ready to have fun?
Rhyming Ping Pong
The beauty of this word game lies in its simplicity, which means even very young kids will love it. One player starts with a word, e.g. cat, then the other responds with a word that rhymes, e.g. bat. The players go back and forth until one can no longer think of a rhyming word. Then you declare a winner or move on to another rhyming sound. That’s it!
This one’s also very easy to relate back to whatever it is you’re reading, and it works especially well with rhyming books. Just choose a word or phrase from the book to kick off a round of rhyming ping pong. With children who are learning to recognize written words and spellings, it can also be interesting to spend time on words that look very different but sound similar, such as rude and chewed.
Word Association
This is another very easy game for kids of all ages, and one that’s great for building vocabulary. One player starts with a word, e.g. cat, then the other responds with a word that is somehow connected, e.g. pet/claw/dog. Any link between the words is ok! It may be a similar word, an opposite, something that shares the same color, and so on. What’s fun is seeing where the associations take you, exploring the unexpected, and, once you run out of steam, looking back at where you started from.
For a more focused game—and one that you can bring back to your reading on a certain topic, if you wish—try keeping the associations within a set theme. So if one player starts with the word family, the other might say mother, then the first player could come back with brother, etc.
Freestyling
One of the most fun aspects of word games is simply seeing where language takes you. And many kids seem to naturally enjoy freestyling as they explore and manipulate the sounds of words they’re learning.
If yours is one of them, encourage it! And don’t sweat it. Freestyling doesn’t need to be about coming up with long strings of lyrics, or sounding super-polished. It can just be about snippets here and there, and often just commenting on something you are doing is enough to spark interest and the start of an idea to play with. For example, It’s bedtime soon, here comes the moon / Shall we go and choose a bedtime book? / Look, look / Your favorite: Charlie Cook.
In my family, our daughter is definitely the lead freestyler. And it’s our job to sometimes help her keep the rhymes going. But she also loves it when we start it off and she chimes in—it’s fun to “pass her the mic” for these moments.
Magical Mix-Ups
Every parent knows that kids come up with the most wonderful ways of expressing themselves. This can be mispronunciations of words, using a correct word in the wrong context, or coming up with their own unique words and phrases when they don’t have the “right” words to say something. (Just a few my daughter has come up with are “toe snails” for toenails, “softing” for stroking, “separate” for desperate, “hurty buzzcuts” to mean pins and needles, and “wind crumb” to mean a speck of dust in your eye.)
There are so many ways to create little games with these words and expressions. Look for opportunities to improvise with them in everyday language, such as creating little stories around them (e.g., about a giant birthday cake a “wind crumb” might have come from). You can also bring them into your family’s secret language, or “familect”—something experts say helps to strengthen bonds, introduce kids to the creative possibilities of language, and develop verbal skills.
Parents can bring in special terms and sayings from their own childhood, incorporate words from other languages, and even invent new ones alongside their children. Kids love spotting “mistakes,” and you can have lots of fun (plus prompt valuable reflection) by deliberately introducing them to your conversations. For example, say something like “Let’s call Grandma on the yellaphone,” then enjoy whatever unfolds.
What Am I?
Guessing games are always a hit with kids. And with this one, it’s easy to introduce an extra wordplay dimension. Here’s how to play: One person thinks of a person, object, book, film, place, or anything else, and gives a clue about it. The other has to work out the answer. To add a wordplay element, focus on the name of the person or item, as in the example below.
For example, the first player might say, “What kind of cat am I? I like to eat leaves and then I build a cocoon.” Answer: “A caterpillar.” You can either continue with more words containing the word “cat” (there are loads!) or change the key clue, e.g. “What kind of fish am I? I live in the sea, but I also share a name with the bright lights in the sky at night.” Answer: “A starfish.”
With younger kids, parents will probably have to lead this game, and you should adapt the clues to suit your child’s deduction skills, individual knowledge, and confidence. Then if they want to come up with clues too, great! Give lots of encouragement, even if they’re not ready to incorporate the wordplay element. Just trying to describe something without using the actual word is a fun challenge in itself. And of course it’s easy to bring this game back to your reading, whether through playing off the names of favorite characters or referencing stories in your clues.
Riffing on Roots
If you enjoy etymology (the history of words) or your child is curious about what words mean and why, then this game is for you. My daughter once asked me what the word mermaid “actually” meant. We got to talking, and it became clear she recognized the word maid (though she was fuzzy on its meaning), but was really confused about the prefix mer. I explained that maid meant woman and mer meant sea, so mermaid meant woman of the sea or sea woman.
And that’s when this particular word game started. We began with words we knew, like merman, but then quickly moved to inventing new ones, like mercorn, mermusic, and merflowers. With each new word, we imagined what they might sound or look like. Together, we created creatures, characters, and landscapes we’d never thought of before—ideas, perhaps, for stories to make up another time.
Silly Songs And Rhymes
Ever tried coming up with your own version of a nursery rhyme? Or heard your child singing different words to a favorite or familiar tune? That’s musical wordplay, and you can have lots of fun with it.
Take the nursery rhyme “Oranges and Lemons.” The last, rather grizzly, verse is, “Here comes a candle to light you to bed / And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.” In my family, we saw this as a perfect opportunity to come up with our own, more kid-friendly alternative.
And when coming up with your own versions of songs and nursery rhymes, sometimes just adding one unexpected word is enough to create a whole new twist. For example, what happens when ”Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” becomes “Head, shoulders, bees, and toes”?
Tongue Twisters
Great for strengthening the muscles involved in speech and practicing pronunciation, tongue twisters also offer big laughs for kids and grown-ups alike. You can start with classics like “She Sells Seashells” and “Peter Piper.” Then make up your own, too. It’s fun to relate them back to your child’s own experiences and reading, like imagining a favorite character in a new and silly scenario.
An easy way is to ask (or help) your child to pick a sound (say, /k/ or /ch/). Then choose a person or animal that starts with that sound, along with a word to describe the person or animal and an activity that also starts with the sound. Then build from there.
So you might pick /ch/ and settle on chimp, cheeky, and chomp chips as your words. Voila! Your tongue twister is “Cheeky chimps chomp chips.” You can also use a character from a favorite story book, e.g., “Ada Twist twirls twine.” Create longer tongue twisters with older kids, or add to your inventions over time. Then comes the hard, and hilarious, part: Practicing your tongue twisters at ever-faster speeds!
Surreal Signs
When your child starts reading street and store signs while you’re out and about, it’s a great chance for more fun with words and meaning. Play around with ways to tweak spellings to create new meanings—for example Parking can become Park King, Dead End can become Head End, Starbucks can become Star Chucks, and so on.
You can explore meaning, too. Does a sign that reads “Slow pedestrian crossing” mean the pedestrians are slow? Is “Entrance” the place where you enter … or a command to cast a spell that puts someone in a trance?
Once you start looking, you’ll start seeing a potential play-on-words at every corner. Kids will love correcting your mistakes as they learn, without realizing, to look closely at words that most of us don’t pay much attention to.
Puns And Jokes
From around age three, most children can start to understand and even invent their own simple verbal jokes and puns. And this is when the bad dad jokes can start in earnest. The key here is making sure the humor and play-on-words is straightforward enough for your little one. Anything that you have to explain or that relies on spelling variations is probably a stretch too far.
So, think more along the lines of “What’s brown and sticky? A stick?” than “Why couldn’t the pony sing a lullaby? It was a little hoarse.”
If your child enjoys jokes, as my daughter does, try making up your own, as well as repeating ones you know. Plus encourage wordplay by being a willing audience to early attempts and remembered favorites.
The punch line? Children learn through play. Make play with words an integral part of your approach—it will build their confidence and love of language.
Christmas is a time of many gifts, especially when you have little ones in your life. And with a little forethought and intentionality, it can also be a wonderful opportunity to invest in your child’s education and development. Whether you’re shopping for great presents for your kids or giving gift ideas to relatives and friends, it’s easy and impactful to choose some Christmas gifts that encourage reading. Take a look at this list for ideas and inspiration to inject literacy, learning, and literature into the pile under the Christmas tree this year.
Board Games that Spur Reading
There are so many great board games that require kids to read in order to play. There are also some fabulous games that build reading skills, knowledge, and comprehension in kids who can’t read yet. If you have a young child, take a look at this list of board games that teach reading skills and are great for kids five and under. For older kids, you can select any number of games that involve reading—including classics like Cranium and Trivial Pursuit—as well as games that are specifically focused on words and spelling, from Scrabble to all the newest word-focused hits.
Christmas Gifts for Readers
Mad Libs, book subscriptions, personalized books, book dates, and so much more. This post on educational gifts says in the title that it’s aimed at preschool children, but in reality it includes loads of fun ideas and specifics about gifts that encourage reading among older kids, too. Give it a read for inspiration, along with a bunch of useful links and detailed information about various reading-related present options.
Christmas Gifts for Pre-Readers
Naturally, the educational gifts for preschoolers article linked above also includes a whole bunch of suggestions for Christmas presents that support reading skills in little kids who aren’t yet reading, too. You’ll find recommendations for classics and classics-with-a-twist, from alphabet puzzles to letter blocks and more, plus useful links and detailed descriptions and recommendations. Check it out!
Storytelling Cards and Dice
These fun tools spark storytelling, imagination, and connection in a big way. You can buy beautiful versions from various quality toymakers, or you can easily make your own DIY storytelling dice or DIY storytelling cards with our tutorials, or even snag our printable cards. Going the make-it-yourself route is awesome for a personalized gift that’s unique and special, and it also makes for lovely, affordable Christmas gifts for kids and a good eco-friendly gift option. Our tutorials, linked above, also give examples of how to use the storytelling props with kids.
DIY Bookmarks & Other Homemade Gifts
On the note of free and cheap Christmas gifts, a free stocking stuffer that encourages reading is a DIY bookmark. We have a bunch of tutorials to help you make your own bookmark for the kids in your life. These are also great options for children who want to make gifts for relatives, friends, or other loved ones. Don’t miss our free printable color-your-own Christmas bookmarks! Also check out these other DIY stocking stuffers that encourage reading and writing, from cute DIY books to pencil holders. And for another handmade gift that young kids can make for loved ones, try our DIY Christmas ornaments Read with Me Recipe.
Clothes (If You Choose Well…)
For kids who appreciate fashion, from sparkly tutu dresses to trendy tees, clothes can also make fun and practical presents to go under the tree. If you’re planning to give—or request—clothing for your kids this Christmas, there’s actually a way to build reading practice and print exposure into that, too! Pointing letters and words out to kids is crucial for preparing them to read, as well as building on their skills once they start. Read our tips for using the clothes they wear to help your kids grow into thriving readers.
And, of Course, Books (Good Ones⇩)
Ok, this one is so obvious that we left it for last, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a top choice. Giving a few well-chosen books as Christmas gifts is not just powerful for encouraging kids to read, but it also teaches them that books are something to value and treasure. These holiday books by black authors make lovely presents, or browse our many themed book lists to find reads that fit your child’s interests and age. Then get inspired by reading about Iceland’s amazing “Christmas book flood” tradition.
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What is your family doing over winter break? If your answer isn’t “going on a cruise” or something similarly fabulous, we’re in the same boat (metaphorically only, alas). To make the most of time at home with kids during vacation, we’ve found it helpful to brainstorm activities beforehand. In this article, we look at reading activities to fill your winter break with sweet, old-fashioned, educational fun. And, truth be told, in the end, meaningful, quality time and special memories with our little ones may be even better than a trip.
Help Your Child Write Cards and Letters
Writing and reading go hand in hand, and the holidays are a great moment to reach out and touch someone’s heart. Help your child pen holiday cards or a letter to a relative far away, a neighbor, or even a senior citizen in a nursing home—there are nonprofit organizations that connect willing pen pals with isolated seniors. (Read our article on how to help your child write to a senior.)
Your child of any age will get to practice writing; if they’re not writing independently, just have them draw a picture and then help them write their name or form a simple message. Then, they can practice reading if they get a response. In the process, they’ll learn a valuable lesson about caring for others, connection, and infusing the holidays with a meaning beyond (just) getting gifts!
If you celebrate Christmas, don’t forget to write to Santa, too! Allowing time for your child to write down their own Christmas wish list and make a note for Santa are fun and festive ways to fill their winter vacation days with literacy practice. If you have an Elf on the Shelf, encourage your child to write to the Elf, too—and then make sure the Elf writes back. Read about why writing letters to your Elf on the Shelf is so good for kids, and get tips for starting this new tradition.
Plan a Bookstore and Cafe Date
Some of my favorite memories from growing up involve going to a bookstore—often a used one—and a cafe. We’d browse for a long time, checking out all the lovely reads. Finally, we’d pick one, or maybe two, books to buy. Then we’d take our new treasures to a cafe, where we would read, talk, sip warmly delicious drinks, and (as it turns out) make lasting memories.
When my son turned six years old, we started a new birthday tradition of going on a bookstore and cafe date together. We snuggled up at the cafe and I read aloud to him for hours. It was a welcome break for both of us and a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
So this winter break, why not invite your child on a special outing? Pick a local, independent bookstore, preferably one with a great used section. Encourage them to browse around for a long time. Take time to show them books you like, explore new reads together, and enjoy the books yourself. When it comes time to buy, though, follow their interests—no matter how hard it is. (If necessary, buy one kids’ book they choose and one you choose!)
Then head to the nearest cafe and hang out together. Do whatever it takes (well, almost) to make it a fun, happy outing. If their attention span runs out, no problem. Cut the outing short. If they get involved in a new chapter book and lunchtime rolls around, splurge on a cafe lunch. Throughout, keep the smiles, giggles, and snuggles flowing. Money saving tip: Funds can be extra tight this time of year. If you’re looking to save money, find a nice library to go “shopping” at instead. Some libraries even have cafes inside!
Read a Book and then Watch the Movie
From Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to The Grinch, there’s no shortage of holiday books that have been made into movies. This break, try spending some quality family time by choosing a book to read together and then watching the movie (or even the play).
You don’t have to stick to holiday reads and films, either. There are so many classics of literature, old and new, that have been brought to the silver screen. Just pick something that fits your family’s tastes. If you want to read a longer book, keep in mind that even younger kids can understand texts well above their reading level if you read them out loud. Tip: Look for versions of chapter books that are adapted for younger readers.
The advantage of this activity is that it doesn’t pit reading and screen time against each other, as is so often the case in the juggling act of family time-management. Instead, it creates a fun way for them to coexist as two sides of the same (fun) coin. If the book-to-movie activity is a hit, you can even form a family books-and-movies club, and plan to read and then watch new works regularly.
Brainstorm and Write New Year’s Resolutions
Another winter break activity for kids that naturally sparks more writing practice is the age-old habit of making New Year’s resolutions. It’s also a tradition that encourages reflection and creates space to explore your child’s thinking and help them develop their intentions.
With the new year looming, explain to your child the idea of resolutions, then brainstorm together what some of theirs might be. Feel free to give them examples of your own resolutions, but also ask plenty of open-ended questions. If kids feel free to come up with their own ideas, without judgment from you, they’ll be more engaged. Here are some of our New Year’s resolutions to help get your inspiration flowing.
Once they’ve got the concept, hand kids a pad of paper and a pencil and help them write down their resolutions for the year. You can even ask them to transcribe some family resolutions that you come up with together.
Going somewhere?
Of course, if you are going on that cruise or another fabulous getaway, you can still fit some great reading activities into your winter break. From big vacations to quick day trips, travel is a beautiful way to spend time together over the holidays. And anywhere you go with your child, there are so many ways to infuse reading and learning into the experience.
If you take a plane, train, or any public transportation together, that offers an easy moment to fit in some reading aloud to your child. Even in the car, I often read books out loud to my kids when I’m not the driver. (Tip: Hold the book up in front of your face to avoid getting motion sickness!) And keep in mind, reading out loud is NOT just for preschoolers. In past eras, adults would often read out loud to entertain a group. Plus, reading aloud to older children and even adolescents can be a fantastic opportunity to expand their horizons by sharing something that they wouldn’t read on their own—from different types of literature to engaging nonfiction.
If you are the driver, throw on an audiobook. We’ve got picks for great audiobooks for toddlers and audiobooks for preschoolers (as well as awesome story podcasts for kids), but there are also audiobooks for older kids that will engage the whole family, helping you pass the time happily, too.
Or just play any of these fun word games with your child. You’ll also want to check out these educational road trip games for kids and Maya’s tips and tricks for making travel with kids extra educational. (If you’re visiting with family, you may also want to check out this article on using books to prepare kids for time with grandparents and other relatives.)
Have a Holiday Book Flood
In Iceland, there’s a wonderful holiday tradition called Jolabokaflod, which means “Christmas book flood.” It’s all about giving, receiving, and reading books as a way to celebrate the holidays. Read all about it in this article and get tips for starting your family’s own Jolabokaflod tradition.
Browse our Kids Books section for ideas of great reads to add to your flood, including great winter holiday books by black authors. You’ll also find curated lists of picture books about sports and science, funny reads, books for teens, and lots of other themed collections.
Books make great holiday gifts and a relatively low-cost way to add some novelty to your child’s vacation days. Still, there’s no need to break the bank. You can always hit up your library for a stack of books to read over break, then buy just a couple favorites to add to your permanent shelf.
Go on a Reading Picnic
Another treasured set of memories from my own childhood involves sprawling on a picnic blanket, sipping hot tea or chocolate from a thermos, snacking on all kinds of picnic foods, and enjoying a book. Sometimes, we read to ourselves; other times, we listened to a story read aloud as we watched the clouds drift overhead or scrutinized the miniature world taking place among the blades of grass. Always, the sense of togetherness and getting carried away by a story infused the moments with magic.
Where I live, we often have mild days in winter that are perfect for a short hike and delicious picnic, especially provided some hot beverages are involved to keep us warm. But if your area isn’t delivering the picnicking weather, no problem. Pack up a basket or bag, pull out a picnic blanket, and have an indoor picnic in front of a fire or even under a play tent.
Then snuggle together and read to your heart’s content. It will keep the cold (and the worries of the world) at bay—promise.
Get Crafty
Of course, arts and crafts are another time-honored pastime with young kids, especially around holiday times. And we have so many great literacy activities to do with little ones, including some awesome holiday and winter-themed printables and crafts.
Check out our many winter and Christmas-themed activities, including this cute holiday lights word game and this educational snowman craft.
Have fun!
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Welcome to the October edition of Smart Story Time!
Every month, we curate some of our best recommendations for timely topics to read about with your child and diverse picture books (and other reading material) to delve into. The goal is to give you plenty of ideas and inspiration to keep your family reading time fresh and help you introduce your child to new subjects and vocabulary. Check out this list, then head out to find some great new-to-you kids’ reads at your local library or independent bookstore.
Here are some topics to read about with your child this month:
Halloween Picture Books
For a lot of us, October means Halloween—pumpkins carved into jack-o-lanterns, spooky decorations, and costumed kids tramping door-to-door to the timeless refrain, “trick or treat!” And you know that sharing some sweet reads with your little one is a total treat. Visit our post on great kids’ books for fall holidays and scroll down to find some recommended picture books for Halloween. You’re also sure to find plenty featured at your local library!
Kids’ Book about Dia de Los Muertos
Dia de Los Muertos means “Day of the Dead” in Spanish. This tradition from Mexico, now celebrated in many Latin American countries and across the world, celebrates the lives of loved ones who have died. Rather than being a sad and somber holiday, however, it is filled with love, flowers, sweet foods, candles, parties, and laughter. You’ll also find Dia de los Muertos book suggestions in our fall holidays books post.
Picture Books about Diwali
Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, is coming up this month, too. The biggest holiday of the year in India (though it is celebrated around the globe), it’s observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some sects of Buddhism. It takes place over five days, with prayers, feasts, decorations like intricate sand art called rangoli, and the lighting of lamps. Though different regions of India have different stories as to the origin of Diwali, all celebrants recognize it as a holiday about the triumph of good over evil. You’ll find some awesome Diwali reads near the end of the fall holidays books post.
And (Always) Books Your Child Loves
In addition to reading books that tackle timely topics or important subjects, be sure to follow your child’s interests, as well. If your kid loves sports, science or animals, read plenty of books on those topics to keep them engaged and help you build a close, responsive relationship. Check out our other kids’ book lists and articles for curated reading lists on various topics and loads of reading inspiration.
We’ll be back next month with the next installment of Smart Story Time. Meanwhile, feel free to message Maya with requests for future posts, book recommendations, or just to say hi!
What are you reading with your child this month? Connect on social media & let me know!
Welcome to the September edition of Smart Story Time!
Keeping new books in the mix keeps family reading time fresh for your child (and you), as well as introducing them to new subjects and vocabulary. That’s why we curate some of our best recommendations for diverse picture books around timely topics each month. We hope this inspires you to find some awesome new-to-you reads for your child at your local library or independent bookstore. Here are some topics to delve into with your child this month:
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Kids’ Books
Also called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival, this holiday is traditionally celebrated in many parts of Asia, including China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The day is based on the Lunar calendar and happens each year sometime between September and October. It’s a celebration of the Autumn harvest and takes place (as you might have guessed) at night! Families gather with lanterns, mooncakes, and starfruit to celebrate together.
September is a great time to read about this long-standing tradition with your kids, so check with your local library for some good books, or read about a couple of lovely picture books about the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival recommended by early childhood educator Chrysta Naron—just follow the link and scroll down.
Picture Books about Rosh Hashanah
The start of fall also brings Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days—one of the most important times of the year in Judaism. It’s a time for adherents to reflect on their actions of the past year, consider any times they may have harmed others or done wrong, and think about how to improve themselves and the world around them in the coming year.
Your library should have lots of relevant reads on hand, and you can also check Chrysta Naron’s top picks for children’s picture books about Rosh Hashanah, compiled in the same post about awesome kids’ books for fall holidays that’s linked above.
Children’s Books about Fall Sports
Does your little one enjoy playing or watching ball sports? If you’ve got a budding fan/athlete in your home, reading books about their favorite sports may be a wonderful way to engage them in books and support their interests.
This fall, browse our lists of great picture books about soccer and picture books about football. You’ll find lots of fun and inspiring reads, plus plenty of lessons about teamwork, resilience, perseverance, and chasing your dreams.
Comic Books & Graphic Novels
September 25 is National Comic Book Day. Why not use the occasion to hit the library or bookstore with your kiddo to browse some graphic novels? These days, comic books stretch way beyond the superhero wam-pow-smack variety (though you’ll find plenty of those, too!), and they can be a really fun way to engage young readers of all ages, levels, and interests. If you find some you love, email me to let me know your recommendations!
About MayaSmart.com
MayaSmart.com is your one-stop-shop for raising a reader. Check out our other kids’ book lists and articles. We’ll be back next month with the next installment of Smart Story Time. Meanwhile, feel free to message me with requests for future posts, book recommendations, or just to say hi!
What are you reading with your child this month? Scroll down to connect on social media & let me know!