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A.K. Smiley Public Library

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

Established in 1894, A.K. Smiley Public Library has served generations of patrons in the City of Redlands and beyond. The only “admission fee” is curiosity. Lifelong learning is at the center of activity in the beautiful, historic building and attractive grounds!

Literacy – 15 Family Literacy Info

Tips for Parents
We believe that parents are the most important teachers in their children’s lives.
Ideas for Parents provides tools for parents on how to engage and instruct children in reading, writing, and other essential life skills. Using these ideas will ensure that your reading time will become a treasured family experience.
Interactive Activities offers ideas of things to do together that build on the story you have read.

Ideas for Parents

Reading Materials

Return to Family Literacy Program page

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Ideas for Parents

  • Current Parent Time handouts here
  • How to use the calendar with your child here

Interactive Activities

  • My Family Book blank copy here (use with My Family by Todd Parr)
  • Play dough recipe here
  • Color Scavenger Hunt here (use with Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle)
  • Arctic Animals here (use with Cozy by Jan Brett)

 

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Reading Materials
The Recommended Children’s Books section lists the books that have been used in the Family Literacy Program and that are available for check-out from the A.K. Smiley Public Library Literacy section. Click on Parent Books to get a list of books that assist parents with selecting children’s books and provide helpful reading tips.

Recommended Children’s Books

Parent Books

< Return to Tips for Parents | Return to Family Literacy Program page | Return to main Adult Literacy page

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What are you interested in?

All About Me

Colors

Life Skills

Rhyming

Science

Holidays / Winter

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All About Me

Books are available for checkout at the library.

 

The Family Book by Todd Parr

The Way I Feel by Janin Cain

Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer

Just a Special Day by Mercer Mayer

I Promise by LeBron James

Apple Cakes by Dawn Casey

Wild About Dads by Diana Murray

The Night Before Mother’s Day by Natasha Wing

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Colors

Books are available for checkout at the library.

 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr / Eric Carle

Elmer by David McGee

Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh

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Life Skills

Books are available for checkout at the library.

 

Learn numbers:

Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Learn days of the week:

Cookie’s Week by Cindy Ward

Learn about jobs:

Whose Tools are These? by Sharon Katz Cooper

Practice using your imagination:

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

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Rhyming Books

Books are available for checkout at the library.

 

Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss

A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen

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Science

Books are available for checkout at the library.

 

Planets by Elizabeth Carney

Bugs! by Shira Evans

In My World by Lois Ehlert

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Peek Inside the Forest by Anna Milbourne

Bug Homes by Anna Milbourne

Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson

The Very Hungry Catepillar by Eric Carle

Under the Sea by Fiona Patchett

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Holidays / Winter

Books are available for checkout at the library.

 

Cozy by Jan Brett

The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert

Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh

Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto

The Gingerbread Man Illustrated by Gail Yerrill

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes

The Night Before Mother’s Day by Natasha Wing

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Parent Books

Books are available for checkout at the library.

 

Reading Magic: why reading aloud to your children will change their lives forever by Mem Fox

100 Best Books for Children by Anita Silvey

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

The Read-Aloud Family: making meaningful and lasting connections with your kids by Sarah MacKenzie

What to Read When: the books and stories to read with your child and all the best times to read them by Pam Allyn

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Remote Instruction Resources

< Return to Family Literacy Materials |  Return to main Adult Literacy page

Remote Instruction Resources

  • Communicating with families
  • Adult education and ESL resources
  • Parent education resources
  • Early childhood/School-age resources
  • Interactive literacy activity resources

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Parent Time Handouts (PDF files suitable for printing)

< Return to Ideas for Parents | Return to Family Literacy Materials |  Return to main Adult Literacy page

Click to view or print PDF file

Workshop 1: Responsive Parent-Child Interactions

Children can learn a lot through conversations. The way adults speak to children is important. Children learn how to listen when adults talk to them. They also learn new words when they hear adults use them. Here are some tips for listening and responding to children that will help them learn and grow.

Click to view or print PDF file

Workshop 2: Playing with Sounds and Words

Many activities that focus on playing with sounds and words can be done anytime, anywhere. Your family does not need special materials or a lot of time. So, play with sounds and words in the car, in a waiting room, on the bus, or while giving your child a bath. Remember, playing with sounds and words helps your child build skills that support learning to read.

Click to view or print PDF file

Workshop 3: Building a Love of Reading

Remember to let children hold the book. Talk to them about how books work and the different parts of the book.

Click to view or print PDF file

Workshop 4: Making the Most of Reading Time

Remember to let children hold the book. Talk to them about how books work and the different parts of the book.

Click to view or print PDF file

Workshop 5: Retelling – Building Story Understanding

Parents can retell stories with their children. These can be stories that they have read together or family stories that parents have told their children.

Click to view or print PDF file

Workshop 6: Celebrating Children’s Writing

As early as age 2, children can begin drawing and writing. However, children’s writing looks very different from adult writing. This is okay! Children of all ages should be encouraged to draw and write.

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Internet Resources

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Reading Rockets:  www.readingrockets.org

  • Reading Rockets offers research-based reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help yeoung children learn how to read better. Our reading resources assists parents and educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skllls.

Wonderopolis:  wonderopolis.org

  • Where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages. Each day, we pose a question – the Wonder of the Day – and explore it in a variety of ways. Wonderopolis was created by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL)

FactHound:  www.FactHound.com

  • This website provides students with the most accurate and current resources available on the internet that are child safe sites. Students can search by topic to learn more information. FactHound will fetch a list of approved and recommended Web sites and books that match.

Starfall:  www.starfall.com

  • Provides opportunities for young children to have fun learning their ABCs and reading skills through positive reinforcement in a brightly colored web page that is full of activities, games, and songs.

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