Book

Extra Yarn is a book that I stumbled upon, then completely fell in love with. While I was training to become a Speech/Language Pathologist, my graduate school supervisor tasked me with leading a preschool circle time featuring the letter “X”.

I went to the library and made a very wise decision: I consulted with the children’s librarian. “I am about to show you one of the best books ever written” she said while introducing me to Extra Yarn.

This book is really great for kids who can follow a story with a narrative. Many of my students have been absolutely enthralled with the archduke! (I get it - I’m enthralled too!)

If your child does not yet attend to a narrative story, then you can also flip through the pages and talk about the pictures together. They will love the contrast between the black and white illustrations and the colorful yarn that gradually increases as the book goes on.

While reading Extra Yarn, I would target the following linguistic skills:

• Answering yes/no questions and wh- questions

• Making predictions

• Inferencing

• Empathy - why did the archduke do what he did? How did Annabelle feel in that moment?

• Emotional vocabulary

Note: if you purchase the book at the link above, LTC will receive a 10% commission at no extra cost to you. I’ve intentionally chosen to partner with bookshop.org because I believe in their mission: “To help local, independent bookstores thrive in the age of ecommerce. Certified as a B Corp, Bookshop.org puts this mission and the public good above financial interests, giving over 80% of our profit margin to independent bookstores.”

Better yet - see if your local library has this book! While you’re there, introduce yourself to the librarian. :)

Craft

After reading Extra Yarn, it will be especially exciting for your child to get their hands on some real yarn! There is something magical about reading about something, then getting to experience that same concept in a tactile way.

I love the idea of this yarn rainbow! I love that the creator of this craft used an empty fruit snack box to make the base of the rainbow. Don’t spend money when you can love something a second time! Annabelle, the main character in the story, brought a rainbow of color everywhere she went - what a perfect craft to go with this book.

If your child’s fine motor skills are not quite developed enough for the yarn rainbow (let’s avoid frustration wherever possible!), this heart would be adorable too.

While making this craft together, I would target the following linguistic skills:

• Verbs such as cut, wrap, glue

• Nouns such as yarn, rainbow, scissors

• Color matching - check out the Linguist’s Corner to learn about the importance of matching!

• Self-advocacy words such as “help”

Linguist’s Corner

Before a child can label colors, a series of skills must be developed first. The skills will develop in the following order:

1. Matching

2. Identifying (a receptive skill)

3. Labeling (an expressive skill)

Many people confuse identifying with labeling, and completely forget about matching.

Labeling looks like this: caregiver asks “what color is a carrot?” and the child answers “orange.” (This is the most advanced skill in the series we are discussing today.) Labeling is an expressive language skill.

Before a child can label, they must be able to identify. Identifying looks like this: A caregiver holds up three blocks, each one a different color, then asks “which one is orange?” The child would then point to the orange block, and is not required to say anything. This is a receptive language skill.

Before a child can identify, they must be able to match. Matching looks like this: the caregiver builds a tower consisting entirely of orange blocks, then the child chooses from multiple colors to add a matching orange block to this tower. This is entirely a visual skill, with no receptive or expressive language required. This makes matching a wonderful building block for these skills.

The yarn rainbow craft is a wonderful way to encourage your child to match colors!

***

Stay patient, stay connected, and have a blast! Feel free to send me an email and show me how your craft turned out. I am a team of one and I read every single email that you all send to me. :)

About Language Through Connection

Brianna Lopez, M.S., CCC-SLP is a certified speech/language pathologist, a linguist and the founder of Language Through Connection. At Language Through Connection, we believe in creating an environment where language can thrive through deeply engaging, connection-oriented activities and strategies.

Learn more about LTC’s offerings here! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

• Music for Language Development on-demand workshop

• LTC Strategy Library

• Curated book recommendations