top of page
Talk to me Mama
The Gift of Words: How Do Children Learn to Talk?
PARENT ACTIVITIES
Click on the article title to read more about each activity
tammymsteele
Aug 3, 20241 min read
Episode 74: Innovative Early Education Outreach that Actually Reaches the Children - Play Smart Literacy (With Michelle Dineen-White & Talmage Steele)
Michele Dinneen-White was working in an early education outreach program when she realized something. The program wasn’t actually...
tammymsteele
Feb 17, 20241 min read
Math Talk Age 0-5 More and Same
When toddlers play, they grapple with complicated math concepts like more and same. A child’s playtime is the perfect time for parents...
tammymsteele
Jan 28, 20241 min read
Pass on the Joy of Math
We invite teachers and parents to join a pre-school/home collaboration that will bring joy to a lifetime of learning math. All it takes...
tammymsteele
Jan 13, 20241 min read
Ignite Your Toddler's Love for Math
During children’s imaginary play is a great time for parents to throw a little math learning on the fun. As children play, they...
tammymsteele
May 15, 20231 min read
Give Our Children the Words They will Need to Save the Planet
Scientists predict that in 2050 nine major cities will be under water due to climate change (think New York, Los Angeles, Singapore)....
tammymsteele
May 15, 20231 min read
Math is Everywhere - Math Talk Prepares Toddlers for the World
Parents who talk about big ideas in math prepare their children to do well in school and at home. What are big math ideas? Math is more...
tammymsteele
May 8, 20231 min read
Make Home-School Connections With Math Talk Conversations
Invite parents to explore the meanings of the word “more” at home while their children explore the math of more at school. Give families...
tammymsteele
Apr 16, 20232 min read
Rote Learning Is Not the Same as Understanding
What is the same about 5 fingers and 5 spoons? The quantity or number of them. This is a truly difficult concept to get. It is an...
tammymsteele
Apr 16, 20232 min read
Jellybean Talk & Play for Spring
In Chicago winter can defy spring with its tradition of one last snowstorm to bury the first yellow daffodils to decide to bloom. That is...
tammymsteele
Dec 18, 20221 min read
Count on More Math Talk in 2023
Make mathematical words like count have a more important role in your child’s play in 2023. Math Talk is hard to learn, but babies show...
tammymsteele
Jul 17, 20221 min read
How to Teach Math the Short Way
Nature provides babies with millions of neurons for learning math. However, nature depends on parents and families to identify and name...
tammymsteele
Jul 17, 20221 min read
Everyday Words are Math Words
What do empty, full, same, and different have in common? They are all concepts you can teach using math talk. Learn how to teach your...
tammymsteele
Jul 12, 20221 min read
Jump Start Your Baby’s Math Brain
Children are born with the capacity to understand abstract math ideas like “more.” When you talk about more milk, more applesauce or more...
tammymsteele
Jul 11, 20221 min read
Teach Children That the World is Organized through Math Play
What is Math Talk? Math is more than numbers. It is an abstract way of solving problems. Math uses patterns, measurement, logic and order...
tammymsteele
Jul 11, 20221 min read
Play Teaches Children to Solve Math Problems
Babies’ brains are born to understand big math ideas such as more/no more or same/different. When they play, they use these ideas but...
tammymsteele
Jul 8, 20221 min read
Math is Everywhere
Toddlers play with math ideas, but they need parents to name the concepts.
Tammy M. Steele
May 19, 20211 min read
Counting on Toe Math
Infants and toddlers love their hands and feet for good reason. They can put socks on their feet and gloves on their hands. They can step...
Tammy M. Steele
Dec 12, 20201 min read
What Does a Toddler Want Most?
After food and sleep, what a toddler wants most is to be understood. After centuries of believing that infants were born as blank slates,...
Tammy M. Steele
Jul 2, 20201 min read
Teachers Partner with Parent Literacy Leaders
If children must hear and use a word 24 times before 80% of them can remember it, teachers will need help making sure special words get...
Tammy M. Steele
Jul 2, 20201 min read
Survival Stories: Words for a Pandemic
If you are a parent of young children, your parents might not have prepared you to grow up with a toolkit for surviving a pandemic. For...
Tammy M. Steele
Jul 2, 20202 min read
How to Chat with a Toddler Who Doesn’t Talk
It is possible to have a conversation with a toddler who doesn’t talk, if a mama does just a little ...Read More
Tammy M. Steele
Jul 2, 20201 min read
Parents as Literacy Leaders
Conversation Starter #8 Cook It, Eat It, Clean It Up - Ages 1 ½ to 3 years old
Support parents. Grow their children’s vocabulary. Give every family The Gift of Words. It doesn’t take more time. It takes more words. Discount for bulk orders:
call 773-327-0806.
bottom of page