Page 3: Toys, Prizes, Treats
Toys:
Set the toys center-front on a table, easy for your child to reach. Set your new reading-windows on the table farther back, just beyond reach of your child. Now one more last-minute thing and you’re ready to call your child to begin a new adventure.
The last item is a very small bowl or cup holding 4 or 5 raisins or peanuts or Cheerios or m&m’s. Consider your choice carefully for this – a very pleasant surprise for your child, but not a major reward. You’ll be using these tiny rewards, in addition to generous, on-going praise, daily for a while — switching later from something to pop into a happy mouth, to stickers or pennies or stars. [A future chapter is planned: The Power of Prizes for Rapid Progress]
Here is an example of how to set up for your session (click on this image if you want to see an enlarged version)
Place the small bowl or cup way back out of reach on the table.
NOW it’s time to invite your child to “START A NEW GAME!”
Remember to keep these sessions as happy and exciting as you possibly can. Testing shows that children learn faster and remember better when they are happy. Attempt to begin each day’s session when your child and you are both in a good, positive frame of mind.
As you walk toward the table (prepared as already described), talk to your child about his/her own cat or dog or a dog s/he might know, and whether any of the animal toys on the table look like the already-known cat or dog.. Give your child time to handle and play with the cat(s) and dog(s) on the table. Before you begin to read the Dog and dog-cat book, it is important to give the child context for the learning s/he is about to do.. Your child will be learning that certain symbols (a b c etc.) are used to represent real objects and real animals, and also (after a few days) totally make-believe animals.
* To avoid problems later, be careful in this next activity that you always say “cat” — not “kitty” or “kitty-cat” or any other cute word you child might say. Also you always say “dog” — not “doggie” or “woof-woof” etc.
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After 3 or 4 minutes of free play with the toys on the table, pick up a toy cat and say “Is this a real cat?” If your child says “No” or if s/he just laughs, then you laugh, and say something like, “Of course not. This is just a toy cat — a make-believe cat.” You can go on to emphasize that a real cat is bigger and has real claws (or is not that color, or has real fur, or wants food, and/or any other thing that is different.) Stop while still easy and interesting for your child — and then try the same thing with a toy dog. Depending on the fun level, keep playing with and talking about just the cats and dogs on the table, or switch to holding up a toy elephant or toy cow (or whatever other well-known animal is on the table) and say “Is this a cat?” Have a big laugh about that silly idea!
You will finish the first session with the treats in the little bowl
– or… –