Any time you are baking or cooking, ask your child to help you. Cooking is a nice hands-on bonding time, and you can point out the words in the recipe and how they correlate to what you are doing as you measure and bake.

Do you take pictures of your child? When you take a picture, you reinforce the behavior or situation you are capturing. Even young ones know that cameras/camera phones mean something special is happening. If you have not already, start taking pictures of your child being read to or reading. This adds value to both books AND reading. Consider printing the photo and giving it to your child as a bookmark.

How about a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" lunch?
By: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Making connections and comparing/contrasting are important critical thinking skills. Reading books specific to a theme is a way to introduce these skills to young ones. Here is a link to 10 food themed stories recommended by Little One Books. Read a couple of them and help your child find pictures or ideas that are the "same". To make connections even tastier, consider enjoying some of the treats in the books while reading.

blog.littleonebooks.com

We love these "Story Cubes" by Gamewright. Each box contains nine cubes with pictures on all sides. Simply roll the cubes and work with your little one to create a story using the pictures. There is also a wonderful opportunity to enrich your child’s vocabulary by explaining the meaning (or history) behind certain pictures that your child may not be familiar with – like the etching of an abacus.
Here is the link to the website. There is a tab for "Where To Buy". You can also pick them up at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. http://www.storycubes.com/

Will you and your little one be "writing" thank you notes following a birthday or holiday? Consider reading Curious George Says Thank You, by H.A. Rey) with your child before commencing. Reading books related to your child’s activities provides inspiration, and helps connect reading with everyday activities. You can pick up a copy at your local library or bookstore.

Fans’ infants are loving Touch-Me textured baby flash cards from One Step Ahead. These soft, multi-fabric cards are printed with words matching their textured and manipulatable pictures. The cards “stimulate tactile discovery, and encourage fine motor skills” and give infants exposure to text. Some have tags, some make sounds, and they are on a ring that opens so individual cards can be removed, and the ring can be mounted on a car seat or stroller, or just grasped. onestepahead.com and amazon.com

(Submitted by a Fan): With your child, use magazines, catalogues, or crayons to create stick (pencil, straw, ruler) puppets to inspire creative play and storytelling. Directions: “Cut out animal characters, glue them on ice cream sticks, name them - and a story is born.”

Bookplates are a fun way to celebrate your child’s library, and make sure books come back home when your child shares favorites with a friend. You can design a simple bookplate, or some sites offer free printable kid-themed options that are fun to look through. (myhomelibrary.org, bentleyboutique.com, and activityvillage.co.uk). To begin, find a picture or design that represents your child’s style or interests, print the design on label paper, help your child "write" his or her name, then affix the bookplate inside the front or back cover of a book. If you are feeling extra crafty, here are directions for creating stamping bookplates: cut a design from foam, rubber, wood, or a potato, coat with ink and stamp.

This bookplate by Clare Beaton via myhomelibrary.org

Remember covering and decorating your textbooks? Covers protected your books, and gave you an opportunity to express yourself. Help your little one create & decorate a special book cover out of a bag, colored paper, gift wrap, felt or cloth. Designate the book for something special like ‘favorite book’, ‘potty book’, ‘breakfast book’, or ‘visiting grandma book’. Looking for a book cover already made? Click on the link below for some inspiration. (Thank you We Heart Books for the book bag link.)

http://www.bluecaravan.net/heidiandgoat/item/country-garden-book-bag/

(submitted by one of our fans): “Create a book with your child's own words and art or photos. Celebrate writing for a purpose. In this case the purpose would be in entertain, inform, and build literacy.” ~ Susan Hay Pease

Is there rain in the forecast? Gather some clothing and items to use to dress up and act out your favorite stories. Have a red t-shirt and pot? Your child can be Winnie-the-Pooh. Have a blue jacket and some slippers? Here Comes Peter Rabbit. [Notice the language your child uses during this play!]