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These five Early Literacy practices of reading, writing, singing, talking, and playing help children form the building blocks that will allow them to learn to read when they get to school. Children who enter kindergarten with a rich vocabulary, a knowledge of printed words and books, the ability to hear and play with the sounds in words, and a sense of imaginative play are more likely to read at grade level in elementary school, and to graduate from high school.
You can help your child get ready to read long before they're old enough for school by using the Early Literacy Practices at home every day - and Darien Library is here to help! Follow the Children's Library on Instagram @darienchildrenslibrary for Early Literacy Tips, book recommendations and other fun library related information.
Reading together is the most important thing you can do to prepare your child for eventual reading success. It’s never too early to start reading together, and the more fun your child has reading together the more likely they are to be an independent reader as they get older!
Try reading a variety of books, and remember it's okay to keep reading that old favorite over and over.
Lalalalala! Not only does singing make you feel good, it also helps your child better understand words. Breaking down the syllables of the word make it easier for a young child to learn and say the word. Let’s see this in practice with the word banana:
I say banana and then I sing banana.
Talking with children helps them learn oral language, one of the most critical early literacy skills. Although all parents talk to their children, directional talk (Come here, wash your hands, put on your shoes) doesn't help build vocabulary - conversations do!
Conversations help children express thoughts, learn what words mean, and gain new information about the world. Any place is a good place to talk to your child!
Writing is an early literacy skill that ties in closely with reading. When children are given a crayon or pencil, they may scribble or draw a picture, which is the first step to telling a story. Just by writing, children are developing print awareness and learning the idea that pictures or words contain meaning.
Encourage narrative skills in your child by asking “What's happening in this picture?” when they draw something.
Play is a fundamental building block of literacy, and playing with children is a great chance to communicate. Every opportunity for play is also an opportunity to use new words, and increase a child’s vocabulary.
This tyrannosaurus rex is hungry! What should it eat? The triceratops? Oh no, run away triceratops!