Celebrate National Grandparents Day is on September 7th and International Literacy Day is on September 8th. The relationship between families and their early care providers and teachers is an important factor in promoting positive child outcomes. The Family and Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality (FPTRQ) project offers tools for measuring the quality of these relationships.
Celebrate National Grandparents Day – September 7, 2014
In 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed the resolution declaring National Grandparents Day as the first Sunday after Labor Day. There is a special relationship between a grandparent and grandchild. This relationship can play an important role in the development of the child. A positive relationship with a grandparent can significantly affect the social, emotional and academic development of a child.
Many schools and day care centers have a special “Bring your Grandparents to School Day” or have a special program for the children’s grandparents. Others have the children make a special card, book, picture or craft for their grandparents. PBS for parents has many craft ideas that can be adapted for grandparents’ gifts which can be found by copying and pasting the links below in your web browser.
www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/category/holiday/fathers-day
www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/category/type-and-medium
There are many wonderful children’s books to read to children about grandparents or you can have grandparents read to the children. Some examples:
Grandmother and I and Grandfather and I by Helen Buckley
Grandmother’s Dreamcatcher by Becky Ray
Just Grandma and Me by Mercer Mayer
Grandparents’ Day by Marie Kaht
My Grandma Could Do Anything by Ric Dilz
I Already Know I Love You by Billy Crystal
The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas and Grandpas by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Silly Frilly Grandma Tillie by Anne Jewett
Grandpa Green by Jane Smith
Cooking with Grandma, Adventures with Grandpa, and Dancing with Grandma by Rosemary Mastnak
International Literacy Day – September 8, 2014
In 1965 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated September 8 International Literacy Day to focus attention on worldwide literacy needs. The International Reading Association (IRA), www.reading.org, supports UNESCO’s efforts and is asking children, parents, and teachers to join in the “Lift Off To Literacy” campaign to inspire children to reach for the stars. Parents, child care providers, and teachers can share the message that developing strong literacy skills can lead to a successful future. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), www.nasa.gov, has partnered with IRA to promote International Literacy Day by reminding children to read daily and asking parent, teachers and caregivers to read to children every day.
There are posters, bookmarks and signs available to download on the website as well as a digital kit for posting information on Facebook and Twitter. The campaign focuses on teachers and parents adding an additional 60 seconds of literacy activities every day for 60 days starting on September 8th. There is a video available on the website featuring Astronaut Kjell Lindgren asking children to join him and the other astronauts on the International Space Station in reading each day. Kjell and other crew members host “Story Time from Space” by videotaping themselves reading children’s books while orbiting Earth on the space station. They also complete simple demonstrations that relate to the science, technology, engineering and math concepts in the books. The videos and related educational materials will be posted on the NASA website for parents and teachers to explore with children. (NASA Website)
International Literacy Day provides another opportunity to highlight the importance of reading aloud to children daily. You can use information from the Read Aloud website at www2.readaloud.org/importance to remind parents of the important role reading plays in their children’s language development and how they can support reading in their homes.