SPELLING HIS NAME AND BUILDING IDENTITY | Lately, we’ve been having a lot of fun practicing words, phrases, and even spelling with Titus. Right now, we’re putting extra focus on helping him spell his name. To make it exciting, we used the Basic: Read and Discuss Stories and added in some of his favorite toys. Each toy stood for a letter in his name! What could have felt like “practice” turned into a game, and it gave him new words to use while also making name recognition more meaningful. I love watching him light up as he learns & spelling his own name is such a powerful step toward building his identity and self-awareness.
One of my favorite parts of our bedtime storytime routine is what happens after we finish a book. We give Titus the chance to keep the story going and encourage him to use his imagination; we are always surprised by what he comes up with. Sometimes he invents new characters on the spot, and other times he acts out the characters we just read about. It’s such a creative way for him to connect with the story and make it his own.
We’ve also discovered the magic of repetition. Titus asks for the same books over and over again, and while it may seem repetitive to us, it’s exactly what helps him memorize words and follow the storyline. The best part is once he has a book memorized, he beams with pride as he “reads” it back to us. It’s such a joy to see his confidence growing alongside his love for stories.
By Candace Martin