10 Reasons I Love Reading to my Toddler

1) Sometimes she asks me to read to her. I love allowing her to communicate so I fulfill her request and let her know I understand her.

2) She is at a stage where she's learning 10 new words everyday! What better way to help her language development than by reading a fresh variation of words from a book.

3) She has pretty much memorized her favorite books. As I'm reading, I pause at some words and she will fill in what I leave out. I love how her voice sounds as she's testing out words she understands but has never spoken.

4) My parents saved all the books I had as a kid and now I'm reading them to Little H. I enjoy the stories as much as she does sometimes!

5) It's fun to extend the story and talk about the pictures. I'll ask her to point out "where is the balloon?" and she giggles as she does it - sometimes repeating "boo-in!"

6) Reading has become the cornerstone of her bedtime routine. It lets her know it's time to relax, cuddle with mommy and get ready to go to bed.

7) I read to her everyday. She sees me reading my own book (almost) everyday. She is learning that reading is a normal thing people are supposed to do. And sometimes she will sit down and entertain herself with a book - it's a much appreciated break for me!

8) Sometimes I'll play a game where I say the wrong thing. "A cow says meow" then I'll look at her and wait. She knows exactly what I'm up to and her face lights up. "No, MOOOOO!" she'll say. This is another cute side effect to her having memorized some books and a fun way to make them new again. It also allows for more discussion about the pictures.

9) I really enjoy the cuddles - it's pretty much the only time she will sit still and happy on my lap, or beside me on the couch.

10) I know that in reading to my daughter, I'm playing a large role in her development. I can be secure in the fact that I'm helping her communicate, learn, and grow into a creative little person! Why wouldn't I love it?



Recommended reading for Toddlers (Little H's Favorites!)

Goodnight Moon

Moo Baa La La La

All by Myself


written by H.E.Eigler

How to Encourage a Love of Reading by Nurturing an Interest in Storytelling.

A fantastic way to show your child the virtue of reading is by developing their love for a good story. Not only does an interest in storytelling encourage curiosity for what's between the pages of a book but nurturing that interest will also give kids some creative problem solving ideas as well.

Creativity is a skill. Use it often and it will grow, multiply and become stronger until creative approaches to challenges become almost instinctual. Ignored, this skill withers and becomes wrought with second guesses, dead end walls and the feeling of not knowing where to begin.

To me, beginning is the hardest part. Once I get rolling a story often takes on a life of it's own. So in helping your kids to come up with a story where do you begin? You begin with DreamStarters.

The DreamStarter Book: by Jennifer Karin Sidford is a collection of 50 story beginnings.

Here is what Jennifer has to say about her book:

In truth, DreamStarters began out of desperation and an inability to pull a creative thought from my brain at the end of a busy day. The day had come when my kids (three boys, ages seven to fifteen) had mastered reading, and they no longer needed me to read them chapters from their favorite books. Instead, they asked me to tell them a story. At bedtime I would begin the story, then (struggling to come up with something compelling and worthy of serious Harry Potter fans) I would ask my kids to tell me what happened next. What began as a solution to my creative drought turned into a favorite family tradition.

Soon DreamStarters made its way to the dinner table, as we found it was a great way to keep our kids engaged at the table a few precious minutes more. Even my teenager stayed to present his own plot twists!

Here's one of the DreamStarters from the book. This one is called "Ice Wind"

Justin and Nicole were hiking toward the top of their favorite mountain when the wind
began to blow. At first, the wind was light and warm, but it soon became fierce and bitter
cold. Even though it was summer, the wind turned everything around them to ice.
“There’s a cave,” Justin yelled to Nicole over the high-pitched scream of the wind.
They leaned into each other as they walked, bracing their weight against the powerful
gusts. The cave’s entrance was covered with icy vines that refused to move. Justin pulled out
his Swiss Army Knife and cut through the vines. From deep within the cave came a blast of
warm air. Justin pushed Nicole into the cave and followed next. It was very dark, and the
warm air smelled damp and…

Is this not a great idea? Engage with your kids. Spend time on something together. Encourage siblings to work towards a conclusion. Show them that daydreaming and being creative is something to indulge in. How could they not enjoy this activity and how could it not develop an interest in story and the written word?

Want a copy of the book? I have one to giveaway! And yes, it's signed :) To be eligible to win, visit the DreamStarters Website and read through this reader submitted DreamStarter. Come back here and tell us in comments what you see happening next. Make sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner.

Bloggers, get an extra entry by posting about DreamStarters on your blog. Leave a separate comment with your url for it to be counted.

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Goosie Cards Giveaway - Custom Flashcards for Children

These creative moms are blowing my socks off these days! There just isn't enough time to show attention to them all but Jennifer of Goosie Cards is someone I just had to blog about.
Goosie Cards^® are the first and only custom flash cards for children on the market. They are a simple, creative approach to teaching reading, language and communication skills through the use of your own personal photos. Her website gives parents the power to teach with their own creativity. Members log in to their account at Goosiecards.com, upload their own photos, add text to their cards and check out. They manufacture the cards and ship them to her customers within 3 days.

Really, have you ever heard anything so cool! What a great idea for people who may not live close to family members like us. These cards would allow us to familiarize little H with her out of town family members so that when they visit it's not so scary for her. There's a million other uses for them too.

Goosie Cards are also being used by parents, teachers and medical professionals in the autism and special needs community. The benefit of Goosie Cards is that parents and teachers have the flexibility to teach and communicate with real life photos that reflect the world around each child, exactly as it is so it meets the needs of each unique child. Goosie Cards can help children with autism to learn a variety of skills to communicate effectively in the following areas: social, emotional, sequential, memory and communication skills. She supports these families with a discount program to provide some relief in price, while providing one of the most advanced, communication learning systems on the market. So so cool guys you've got to go to her site and have a look.

And yes, I have some to giveaway! Plus, she's offering free shipping for Maternal Spark readers until Dec 31st with coupon code freeship08. Here's how to win a set of 10 custom cards or a set of ABC cards your choice.

Just go to her site www.goosiecards.com
and browse through the Goosie Gifts. Tell us in comments which gift pack would be best suited to your child and why. You have until Dec 19th to enter and make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!

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1 Great Project - 3 Reasons to Do It

I've recently corresponded with Creative Mom Jenna McCarthy, Author of The Parent Trip
She was telling me about how as a writer, she walks around with a notebook to capture all the funny things her kids say. She says her children are "pure fodder" for her writing endeavors. She then told me how she takes those notebooks and turns them into a special project that allows her to do three important things:

1) Use and encourage her creative mind.
2) Include her children in that creative process and
3) Encourage her children to read and enjoy stories.

Here's what to do:

As your kids say funny things write them down. I know that many of you are bloggers and chose to journal these silly snippets in a digital format - that works too and in fact, might be a nice way to keep everything all in one place for later use.

Once you have a nice collection of quotes, start transferring them into a small journal or scrapbook. Here is where you can include your kids. Ask them to doodle on the pages or decorate with stickers. You can also have them choose photographs of themselves to be included in the book. Don't forget to add a title that includes their name.

When it's done, you'll have a storybook that your kids will want you to read over and over again. What child doesn't like being the main character in a story?! Especially a main character who is funny, silly and smart too! You'll have loads of fun reliving memories and your child will feel special and loved in a whole new way. Plus, they will be learning without even knowing it. These books will help them to recognize their name in print, as well as the names of any siblings or other 'characters' in the book such as pets. Older kids will learn to see why you thought what they said was humorous and laugh at themselves too. What could be better?


Here are a few gems from Jenna's collection -

At the park:
Sophie (4 years): Mom, why is there a hole in this bench?
Me: Well, what is the bench made from?
Sophie: Wood!
Me: That’s right! And where do we get wood?
Sophie: Home Depot!

In bed at night, singing songs:
Sophie: “This old man, he played seven, he played seven up in heaven…” Mom, what’s heaven again?
Me: That’s where grandpa lives, with God and all of the other people who have died.

Sophie: God DIED?

I know you have a funny quote from your own little one in your mind right now don't you? Go on now, start their book you can always come back later.

About Jenna McCarthy's book:

The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties is a must-read for expecting and new moms. Packed with wit and wisdom, The Parent Trip is "smart, hilarious, incredibly useful and so honest it almost hurts,” says Peg Moline, Editor-in-Chief of Fit Pregnancy magazine, adding “Every pregnant woman should read this book."

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I broke down and went to a meeting

Image via WikipediaI've been writing for awhile now. I've done the online critique group thing (which I loved and I wish I could pour more hours into it) I've done the how to book thing. I've read numerous magazines on the craft. I finally feel like I've found my groove, my voice - my mojo. Don't get me wrong, I'm by no means an expert and I know I have lots more to learn but I don't feel like a newbie anymore.

So, I've been looking for something new to encourage me in my writing endeavors.

I joined a group.

I'm so NOT a group person. I hated group projects at school. I always got stuck with idiots who had no idea what to do, and that one guy who never washed his socks. So joining a group was a big deal for me.

The online listing read:

The Guest Speaker will be Children's Author: Kim Parachoniak... who will be discussing How To Write For Children and Youth! You will love this event. This is the time to gather information EVEN if this isn't your usual 'genre'! Catch you there!

It sounded nice and easy going. The speaker was a grade school teacher and she offered some great tips on word counts, difficulty levels, subject matter etc.

Then the weirdness started. It seems the 'leader' of the group is affiliated with some sort of self publishing company. She does seem to have a great deal of knowledge about writing books but I got a strong used car salesman vibe from her. It also seemed like a lot of the members had ingested the wacky kool aid she was serving up. I have NO interest in self pubbing whatsoever and I have even less interest in something when it sounds cheesy and cheap.

Anyhow, I guess I don't have to be best friends with anyone. I'll attend one more meeting and see if the info about writing is worth being subjected to the self pub propaganda. My hopes are not high.

What about you guys? Do any of you participate in groups? How do you stay inspired? Let me know what's up in comments.

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To Cheese it or, not.

Having a little version of myself crawling around has got me wondering what traits she will inherit from Mommy and Dada. Of course, one hopes their child will share some of their passions and a few of their interests. I can't lie and say I wasn't a bit sad to see little H's disgust over a cheesy Kraft dinner noodle I popped in her mouth the other day. You see, I usually remove a few noodles for her before I put the cheese mix on. Until this point, I wouldn't give her something as disgusting as Kraft dinner - I reserve that filth for myself. But I thought, 'what would it hurt to see if she likes it with cheese'? Turns out she shares her fathers disdain for the almighty KD. We'll see if she out grows it.

Anyway, it made me wonder who she will take after as she grows. Will she like music or movies? Video games or painting? Comics or novels?

I'm doing everything I can to tend to any spark she might have for books. I read to her every day. Usually one book before her afternoon nap and three before bedtime. She is only nine months old but, I hope that Moo Ba La La La by Sandra Boynton or Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown stirs something deep in her DNA, put there by her mother, and all her other book loving relatives.

So far it seems she likes the voices I make, she likes the pictures and she sits still as I read to her. She grabs at the pages to flip them back and forth and back and forth while I take her through the stories. She doesn't seem to tire of our reading routine. We'll see if she grows out of it, or deeper into it as I did.

Do you read to your kids? What are your favorite kids books??? Let me know in comments.

Feature Mom - Cindy Watson

My name is Cindy. I’m a mother and a writer.

It took me a long time to be able to admit to the latter without feeling like I was pulling the wool over someone’s eyes – to say it and truly mean it. Telling people you’re a writer can be a scary thing, especially if you’re unpublished. It’s like you’re admitting a dirty little secret. Until you have a book on your name with it, it can feel as though you aren’t truly a writer. I was a journalist for a number of years and continue to write some freelance, so I’ve had articles in print. But having a book published would mean so much more.

I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember. When I was in the fourth grade, I attended a Young Author’s Conference with my bound, laminated and fully illustrated tale of love and betrayal in hand. (My mom was my publisher.) While other kids were outside playing, I was curled up on my bed with either a book or a binder of loose leaf paper, writing away. When my grandparents wanted to get rid of their ancient typewriter, I volunteered to take it. I used it to type out manuscripts and I still do to this day.

As I got older it became harder to find the time to write. I never seemed to follow the sacred rule of writers: ABC. Apply Butt to Chair. I would think about writing, but never get down to it. Or I would start something and then get busy and forget about it. If I’m being honest, most of the time I just wasn’t motivated.

Then in May 2007, my daughter was born. With that, my passion was reignited.

I’ll admit I still don’t write as often as I’d like or should, but it really hit me that this was the one thing I truly loved to do. I want my daughter to follow her dreams and do whatever makes her happy, but she needs to see it to live it herself. So, every day during her nap time, I sit in front of the computer and get some writing done. Some days it’s five pages, some days it’s only a few paragraphs, but the point is I’m doing it. I know the ideas in my head are not going to write themselves, so I can’t look for time to do it – I need to make the time to do it.

Documenting my daughter’s life is another thing I’m passionate about. I began to create albums with photos, journaling my thoughts and ideas. This has now become a business venture, as I recently signed on to be an Independent Consultant for Creative Memories. Now I can help other people tell their stories, and watch that passion spread. (Visit my page at https://www.mycmsite.com/sites/cwatson to find out more.)

My daughter’s birth triggered something else – an introduction to children’s books. I read to my daughter a lot, and I began to make up my own stories and rhymes for her. So far I’ve completed two picture/board book manuscripts that are looking for a home.

The other thing my daughter has taught me: to accept what life dishes out and know it will all work out in the end. Even if my stories never get published, I know I created them and that my beautiful little girl was the inspiration.

For more about me, or to contact me, please visit my blog at http://www.cindywatson.blogspot.com/

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Thanks Cindy! I'm so happy to have your insight here. I was also reluctant to label myself as a writer. Sometimes it still feels like I'm just pretending to be one. I can't wait to see what the ABC rule produces for you - If it's anything like what I've seen so far, I'm sure you'll know success.

H