Reading Tips for Families with Kim Schneider

Kim Schneider, a Program Specialist focusing on early literacy in San Bernardino County, discusses the importance of reading to young children. She emphasizes that reading builds language skills, vocabulary, and comprehension, citing research by Hart and Risley, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Institute for Literacy. Schneider recommends interactive reading, using expressive tones, and creating a routine. For different age groups, she suggests sturdy board books for infants, interactive books for toddlers, and alphabet and counting books for preschoolers. She also highlights the importance of making reading a daily habit, even if it's just a few minutes.

Early Education and Development webpage:
https://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/index.php/en/ess-2019/early-education-and-development

Music by lemonmusicstudio from Pixabay - Where the Light Is

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Ana Garcia, Kim Schneider, Nancy Sherod

Ana Garcia  00:12

Hello, everyone. This is Anna, Garcia and 

Nancy Sherod  00:15

Nancy shared, and we want to thank you for tuning in to another episode of tomorrow's readiness starts today 

Ana Garcia  00:21

as always, this is a time where we dive into topics and visit with individuals who are supporting San Bernardino County, zero to eight year olds through their community outreach and educational supports. 

Nancy Sherod  00:31

Today, we're excited because we're going to sit down and introduce you to one of our own early education and development team members, Kim Schneider,

Kim Schneider  00:39

 hi everyone. 

Ana Garcia  00:40

Hi Kim, so both of us have been working with you for over a year now, and we know that you're doing all kinds of things and work out in the field, but before we dive into all that, tell us a little bit about yourself. What role do you play? What were you doing prior to coming to San Bernardino County, superintendent of schools, 

Kim Schneider  00:58

all right, so prior to the county, I was a teacher. I was I've been in education for over 20 years. So I've taught preschool, TK, first grade, second and fourth, middle school, don't forget, middle school, college, all of it, like I kind of done all of it. And so coming to the county, my role as a Program Specialist. Now I focus on all things early literacy. So one of the main things that I do is I go in and support schools, teachers, administrators, on all things early literacy. 

Nancy Sherod  01:30

And you're having a ton of fun doing 

Kim Schneider  01:32

Yes, I am. 

Nancy Sherod  01:32

She's got some of her favorite places to travel. Okay, so this year, our podcast is going to take, is taking a little bit of a shift. So we're excited to have you here for this. We're hoping to be a learning by podcast for all of the hot early learning topics. So today we're going to specifically discuss what we brought you in for. We want you to weigh in and help us share the importance of reading with young children, and what are the do's and the don'ts. So before we even go all that down that way, start us off with why is it important to read with young children? 

Kim Schneider  01:33

All right, this is one of my favorite topics to talk about. 

Nancy Sherod  01:35

That's why we have you sitting here.

Kim Schneider  01:40

 I always said when I was in the classroom, my superpower was teaching tiny humans how to read. So this is super near and dear to my heart. But if I'm going to talk about why it's important to read, gosh, I could talk about the benefits forever, but I'll just stick to a couple. So I'll say the first thing are just it builds language skills. So when you're talking and reading with your children, you're teaching them about speech and pronunciation and grammar and text and all of those things, about the structure of language, about print awareness. So all of those things are super important. I could talk about vocabulary, so the amount of vocabulary that you give your kids when you are reading with them outside of the vocabulary that you use in everyday conversation. So those vocabulary words might come up. I did pull a few quotes from a training that I recently did that I wanted to read, just to kind of hone in that. One of them was a study by Hart and Risley. They identified that the sheer number of words young children hear can predict their academic performance years later in intermediate grades. 

Nancy Sherod  01:40

This is huge, so huge. 

Kim Schneider  01:47

So if you think about it like what you're doing now with the littles, will impact them for years to come, which is super powerful. And another research suggests that by the time children enter kindergarten, they should hear a target of 30 million words. 

Nancy Sherod  03:30

Wow, that's a lot of words.We talk a lot over here, but that is a lot of words,  Okay, so you gave us a little bit about vocabulary, the importance of it, the numbers. Can you share a little bit more about data gains, overview of gains. Tell us a little bit more. 

Kim Schneider  03:34

Okay, so I will go again with a couple research points that I did find. So the first one was from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and it shows that early reading is linked to higher literacy and math scores in the later years. So earlier, I touched on just that, the literacy component, but it also the research shows that it also shows gains in math as well, and that also came from the National Institute for Literacy. So those are two separate studies that were done, and the last one that I have that I found I didn't even link this together when I read this, but a study from pediatrics found that reading with young children promotes. Social, emotional bonding and helps reduce behavioral problems,  and that's kind of what I thought about. Like I talk all the time, but the vocabulary that you get in books is very different than the vocabulary that you speak with your children every single day. So those, those kind of hit home for me when I when I heard those. And then another thing, it just, it really builds comprehension skills. So just having those conversations, right? We read to comprehend so that's super important that we are building those comprehension skills. I'll just say this, like, that's kind of the academic side of it, but if you think kind of even more, not more importantly, but equally as important, is you're just fostering a love of reading your kids, and that's a special time between you and your child. 

Nancy Sherod  04:59

huge, 

Kim Schneider  04:59

and that's something I never even thought about, right? I always just assumed it was like all literacy based. 

Ana Garcia  05:10

Wow. So what are some key things to consider when reading to your child 

Kim Schneider  05:15

Okay? So a couple things I would say, make it interactive, let them make predictions, ask them questions, right? It's not just you talking with them. If they're not yet vocal or verbalizing, you can, you know, like, point to words and pictures. Like, ask them, like, where's the red ball? Like, right, Point to the dog, things like that. Allow them to turn the pages right, because they're going to understand right, right? So that's one thing I would say, be expressive. So that prosody of, right? You're, you're reading the, I love to say, read the punctuation, right? If there's an exclamation point, like, get super excited. If there's a question mark, you're going to, you know, kind of raise your voice a little bit. So, you know, doing those things also, you can connect it to real life, right? And that builds on comprehension. That's something you can do. If it's a story about a park or a beach, and you've been to the park or the beach, right, bring in your your information. And then I would say the last thing is really just create a reading routine at home. So important having that routine, whatever that routine is, if you're going to read before bedtime, if you're going to read before breakfast, if you're whenever you're gonna read and then repeating those favorite books, which I remember when my kids were little, oh my gosh, Hop on Pop all the time.

Nancy Sherod  06:33

Mine was, I was so mad we read. I was so mad. So many times, so many times.

Kim Schneider  06:38

 I love that. And sometimes, as a parent, you're like, I don't want to read this even one more time. Yeah, but having that routine because they those repeated readings are super important, 

Ana Garcia  06:47

and it's something they look forward to, like, every day. Yes, right? 

Kim Schneider  06:50

Yes, I could recite Hop on Pop. I could. 

Nancy Sherod  06:54

We won't put that on you today. 

Kim Schneider  06:56

Thank you so much. You're welcome.

Nancy Sherod  06:58

 All right. Well, let's, let's talk about that. We just gave a couple examples of books. But how do parents choose the right books? You know, are there some titles that you would say focus towards, or authors, or what do they even begin if they don't even know where to begin? 

Kim Schneider  07:09

All right, when I was looking it was when I was thinking about this question, I kind of broke it into three different age categories, because if you think about children zero to five, what infants need is very different than what preschoolers need. So with infants, I think about my grandbaby right now, those sturdy board books with bright pictures, simple text, high contrast books where it's like blacks and whites and things like that, which really helps them any kind of touch and feel book they love, all that tactile and then that repetitive and rhythmic language. And with that one, I think of, I guess, a good recommendation, like brown bear, right? Brown Bear, Brown Bear. What do you see? As far as book suggestions, I think any of the Eric Carle books are really great, right? The Brown Bear, Brown Bear. The ones I'm oh my gosh, I'm not sure the author, but right now my grandbaby, she's super into them. It's never they have a whole series. Never touch a stinky skunk, never touch a hungry hippo, never touch a grumpy bunny. Like those are all like touching feel books that that I think of her tied into it, you know? So that those are the ones that I kind of came up with for that age. And then, if you think about toddlers, which are maybe your one to three year olds, interactive books, short, simple stories, right? Everyday experiences, bedtime, breakfast time, potty training, right?

Nancy Sherod  08:33

Everybody, poops. Oh, and that's what you were gonna say. We all know that book. It's very popular. 

Kim Schneider  08:37

That one did not come up on my list. Nancy, 

Nancy Sherod  08:40

you're welcome listeners. There you go. It's a great book, because everybody does. 

Kim Schneider  08:45

I went with the good night moon for bedtime. I went right, so that's a good one for bedtime. Guess how much I love you? Is great for social, emotional and then I went back to Eric Carle right, with a very hungry caterpillar. Those ones that do have those simple stories, but they are easy to follow along, right? And they're repetitive and all of that. And then if I thought about the preschool age three to five, you know? So there's you could add the alphabet and counting, you could have engaging characters and adventures. So I feel like you guys know I'm going to say this, yeah, elephant and piggy go wrong with Mo Willems. Um, so Mo Willems is the author, and the elephant and piggy books are just huge with that. I think they're funny too. I'm going to say I laugh out loud, you know, with those with those stories, but I love to read those with the the littles, I go into their classroom, of course. Chicka, chicka, boom, boom. That's an alphabet book. Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. That's a counting book. So just kind of thinking along those lines. 

Nancy Sherod  09:42

So where do they get books? Where? Where's our best place to get books, right? 

Kim Schneider  09:46

You know, I'm going to say the library, right?

Nancy Sherod  09:49

I know I pitched that one for you to hit out of the park. 

Kim Schneider  09:52

So if you have limited access to books, 100% I would say the library. They are free for one, right So and libraries are great. Your library cards free. The books are free. Many libraries also have story times and different things that you can go with your kids. So, you know, just to kind of give you a little bit of reprieve from from reading. But yeah, so libraries are great. Digital libraries are also great if you don't have access, I always love to have a book in my hand. Sometimes I'm a little reluctant to say a digital library, but that is also an option, 

Nancy Sherod  10:28

and footsteps to brilliance. We've talked about that before, so that's another place to get a lot of digital books for free, right at your fingertips, downloaded, you're good to go. Know Wi Fi needed, but that's a side note. 

Kim Schneider  10:38

I love that side note. And I always say, if you don't have access to a book, you could take just things around your house and make up a story your child's favorite like stuff, animal or doll or whatever it is, right? Dinosaurs or whatever they're you know, they're into storytelling, very important. Yes, yes, 

Ana Garcia  10:55

Kim, so I know you touched on on it a little bit earlier, but what would be a strong reading routine at home, so if a parent doesn't know where to start, 

Kim Schneider  11:03

oh, okay, I would say start small and just having that, that daily routine, right? And so just pick a time and start small. It doesn't have to be 3040 minutes, right? Your child might not have the attention span to sit for 30 or 40 minutes, but, you know, just kind of thinking about that wherever that is, right in their bed, on the cat, cozied, up on the couch, or whatever. But just really starting that routine, just to kind of get them, you know, into that, did I answer that question? 

Nancy Sherod  11:34

Okay, so let's do another layer of this. So we talked a little bit about routines. We talked about books to read. What if we have a parent, and this is very real, that's like, I don't like to read. Okay, I don't like to read. This is not my happy place. And you're telling me I need to what do? What do we say to the parent that's reluctant to read with their child? 

Kim Schneider  11:53

Okay? So the couple recommendations, I would say the first one is not so much focusing on the reading itself, but focusing on the connection you're making with your child. So your child isn't looking for the perfect reader, right? They're they're not going to point out your mistakes, they're not going all of those things. So I would say just really focus on that connection and that time that you're spending with them. You know what you're giving, what you're giving them. And I said it a little bit before, but if they don't, you don't like the actual physical part of reading, like use the pictures to tell a story, more words? 

Nancy Sherod  12:28

Yeah, you do not have to look at the words, right? 

Kim Schneider  12:31

I love wordless picture books for that very reason, because you can just you and tell your own story. So that's something that that they can do if they're not comfortable with the actual reading of the book. And then audiobooks are great if you have access to audiobooks, they are a great role model for, you know, for children being able to listen to that language and that vocabulary and all those things. So that's another suggestion, 

Nancy Sherod  12:53

and I think you you hit on it a little bit earlier, but I want to kind of capitalize on the importance of the moments of reading, right? It's not just about teaching them to read and comprehension, but you talked about the passion to read, that it's the muscle memory of the comfort that comes from a parent's lap or next to an adult caregiver. Or I'm like, I remember my first book. My first book was monster at the end of this book, and I remember being terrified and turning the pages with my mom, and I remember that story. 

Kim Schneider  13:21

you remmeber that?, 

Nancy Sherod  13:22

 I do? I literally remember every piece of that terrified that there was going to be a monster on the last page and we're going to turn the page and I'm going to be scared. That was Grover, lovable Grover, if you don't know that book, there's another book to go pick up. But um. Anna, do you have a fun reading memory? Can you think of one of your earlier readings?

Ana Garcia  13:36

 I think I loved, like Kim, like the Earle what is it? Carl, yeah. Carl, yes. Like the brown bear and the very young caterpillar. And even when I was in the classroom, I think I loved reading those to the children and then having them read it to their classmates. They were easy enough for them to, like, memorize them and feel like, Oh, I know a story, and I can read it to my friends. So I really enjoyed those. 

Kim Schneider  13:58

I feel that that's how Dr Seuss is. Yeah, right, yeah. There's a lot of simple, simple words, a lot of repetition, which is good. I was trying to think of other Eric Carle books, the grouchy Ladybug and, oh yes, all those fun ones. Trying to, I was trying to think of the colors

Nancy Sherod  14:14

 I can see, all the colors. They're just Yes, brown bear sees a purple cat, right? Like all those pieces. So, muscle memory. Muscle memory. Okay, So Kim, here we are. Here's the chance. This is your what's your call to action? What do you want to challenge adults that are caring for little people, to make happen, to build literacy practices. What is your Hey, if you do nothing else, folks, let's try blank. What do you want? Them? 

Kim Schneider  14:36

Oh my gosh, I can't say read you. Can? You can? I think I'll go back to the routine part of it of just starting small, right? If you have five minutes a day, where are you going to carve out that five minutes to be able to read with your kids? Not only right, will it help you get into a routine, but it'll also help to build stamina in them and you, because we know you.Especially with littles, they don't want to sit for very long. So definitely just starting small and sticking to that daily routine, right? If nothing like brushing your teeth, right? If nothing else, we are going to read for five minutes, we're going to read for 10 minutes, or whatever it is. So I think that's my biggest call to action, figure out a routine and make it happen. 

Nancy Sherod  15:16

Yes, just like brushing teeth, I like that, right? I really like that. 

Ana Garcia  15:20

Sometimes we don't want to, but we need to

Nancy Sherod  15:25

to make that happen. I like that, and we've got some options. And if you need more options, feel free to reach out to us at early ed we would love to help you. Our email is always in our story notes. You can catch it there, along with all the other fun stuff we're doing on our website. You can check that out, Kim, we love that you hung out with us today. 

Kim Schneider  15:42

This was awesome and so fun. Thank you.

Nancy Sherod  15:44

 Easy, fun. Let's just let us talk about our favorite thing, books, right? Exactly, and all the little people. Yes, absolutely, 

Ana Garcia  15:51

yes. Kim, so thank you so much for sitting with us today, and we know that this is an important topic for our families and our community, so we appreciate you sharing all the information with our listeners, 

Nancy Sherod  16:02

and I think that's it. So there you have it. There you have it. It's another episode done and shared. Make sure you join us again next month, where we'll bring you more ways to support our county zero to eight year olds, as we always do, because tomorrow's readiness starts today.