February Top Media Picks
*Find my favorite love, friendship and community inspired media picks by age groups here: February Top Media Picks. Links for books, audio stories, music and toys are included.
February is the perfect month to celebrate love, friendship and kindness and learn about our communities! Teaching kids through books to love and appreciate friends and family but also those who serve them in other capacities, such as community helpers, is a great way to cultivate kindness, empathy and gratitude. This month’s selection of media focuses on various topics such as Valentine’s Day, friendship, kindness, community helpers, superheroes and things that go. As you focus on these topics with your littles with the help of my media selections, you will be supporting them in the following developmental areas:
Language acquisition: Vocabulary production will be fostered through repetition of language across all media types. Some examples of the target language: heart, love, hug, friend, gift, mail, card, valentine, kindness, community helpers (such as teacher, mail man, firefighter, doctor, vet, construction worker, etc), super hero, things that go (such as fire truck, airplane, dump truck, mail truck, etc). As kids read picture books, watch age appropriate shows, listen to music and podcast and play with toys that utilize the target language over and over again, language develops more seamlessly.
Early literacy skills: Visual and auditory stimulation through books, audio books, podcast stories and music help to promote early literacy skills such as comprehension skills, phonetic awareness and print awareness. Children connect more easily with stories about things they are living in real time. For example, reading or listening to stories about celebrating Valentine’s day can help kids make connections to real life as they experience the same activities, while at the same time help strengthen those early literacy skills.
Cognitive development: All types of media, when used appropriately, help support the development of cognitive skills. Executive function skills such as working memory, focus and sustained attention are some of the benefits children can experience through the correct use of media. Making connections, fostering imagination and creativity are other cognitive benefit of media. Tools such as developmentally appropriate toys can help make connections between new concepts and real life. For example, playing with toys such as community helper figurine, community buildings and vehicles can help children visualize what a community is and how it works. Pretend play dress up toys such as a mail man or a fire fighter costume can help kids understand the various roles and responsibilities of those who serve in their community.
Social emotional development: Books, audio stories and shows can help teach children to recognize and label emotions, promote empathy and kindness, and teach social skills like sharing and collaboration. Through media, children can also learn what to expect and how to act in new or challenging situations. For example, while watching a show, your kids see a character acting in a kind way (sharing, playing nicely, helping others). By discussing the kind behavior and helping them know how they can apply it to their lives, they will be more prepared to replicate those positive behaviors in their social interactions with others.
I hope you enjoy incorporating my top media picks with your little ones!