READING
The Little Blue Truck This book is a well-loved favorite of many families with toddlers. Its simple, repetitive language and fun rhyming rhythm help children learn the language of the story quickly. Pause at certain points in the book and see if your child can fill in a word or two or even look to you to fill in the next word. In this way, it makes book reading an interactive experience. This book is also great for practicing familiar animal sounds. Say to your child, ‘the cow says….’, and see if they can fill in the animal sound. The story is also an excellent example of problem solving and teamwork. Point out how the truck asks for help and then how all of his animal friends work together to help get him unstuck.

Rescue Vehicles As you are out on walks this week, point out rescue vehicles that you may see. Talk about the colors of the vehicles, the noisy sirens and flashing lights. Talk about how the people in these vehicles are ‘helper people’ and they rush to help all kinds of people with lots of different problems. Even though sirens can be loud and scary, talk about how friendly and helpful the people inside the vehicles are and how they are some of the most amazing people we have in our community. You could try walking by a fire station and see the fire trucks from a safe distance. Looking at rescue vehicle books and pictures or videos online are also great conversation starters to talk about what these vehicle and the people inside of them do. This could be a fun way to introduce your child to some of our community’s first responders.