Fun with Tots – Narrative Skills

I signed up this programme for Yvette months ago during our weekly library trip.

After my dinner, (Yvette usually had her dinner around 6 to 6.30), we proceeded to the library. This event was held in the multi-purpose room in the library which I find it is totally not appropriate. The toddler has to sit on the chair with 4 wheels which I find can be dangerous.

It’s a 30 minutes session of rhymes, songs and stories we can share with our child. And today they touched on the Narrative Skill.

What is Narrative Skills (to a child)?

Narrative skills refer to being able to describe things, events or even tell stories. Narrative skills help a child to notice and communicate the things and events that occur within stories and in real life. In being able to describe, a child learns about the defining characteristics of various things (fishes have fins, a dog barks). And in being able to tell or retell (simple) stories, a child learns that events happen in order – first, next, last.

Some books recommended by this event

• My Very First Book of Colors by Eric Carle
• Pepo and Lolo and the red apple by Ana Martin Larranaga
• In the Jungle by Benedicte Guettier
• Where’s the Duck? By Dan Crisp
• Rod Campbell’s lift-the-flap Animal book by Rod Campbell

Some books recommended for parent that are available in library

• Children’s communication skills: from birth to five years by Belinda Buckley
• What is my baby thinking: understand babies and toddlers from 0-3 years by Richard Woolfson
• How to talk to your baby by Dorothy P. Dougherty
• Everything your baby would ask – if only he or she could talk by Kyra Karmiloff and Annette Karmiloff-Smith
• Sign with your baby: how to communicate with infants before they can speak by Joseph Garcia
• Sign language for babies and toddlers by Christopher Brown and John Clements
• Tips and tools for getting thru to kids: innovative approaches for preschoolers to teens by Phillip Mountrose

Some websites that assist parents in further in-depth research on our own

• Baby Babble and how to communicate with babies
• Baby world features baby communication – baby signing
• Talking with toddlers and two years old
• How to communicate effectively with toddlers
• Raising children network – how you communicate with preschoolers 

Activities that helps in Narrative Skills which you can enjoy at home with your child

• Reading storybooks to the child
• -      Children learn most narrative skills from role modeling
• -      Interact with the child, such as asking them if they remember what happened earlier.
• Using rhymes often to help them learn the rhythm of pronunciation
• For very young babies/toddlers – simpler babbling and cooing with them will encourage vocalization.
• For older children, star demonstrating speaking in simple sentences.
• -      Persisting in using complete sentences will serve as adequate example for the child.

Overall, it’s a very informative session we have attended. However, Yvette wasn’t enjoying much. This could be properly due to she pooped toward the end of the session and I couldn’t bring her out to change.