As a parent you are your child’s first teacher, and what you teach them will last a lifetime. A love of reading is actually one of the most beautiful gifts you can give your child, and it is one that can be taught as early as the first year of life.
Children begin developing literacy skills long before their first year of school. Her scribbling on paper and flipping through books while pretending to read may look like playing to you, but it is actually your child developing her emergent literacy skills, that large set of pre-reading and writing skills that children develop during the early childhood years. It is her taking what she knows about language and books and figuring out how they work together to become the skill called ‘reading’.
Although you should never push your child into learning something before they are ready, there is much you can do to encourage the development of those pre reading skills. By incorporating literacy development both into your child’s environment and routine, you are laying the necessary roadwork for your child to begin their journey into the world of reading and writing. Below are a couple of suggestions for working on the development of your child’s pre reading skills, and encouraging the literacy that will help set your child up for success.
1. Read to Your Child Daily
Read to your child on a regular basis. Although bedtime stories are still among the best ways to bolster your child’s reading skills, don’t just limit the storytelling to once a day. The more you read to him, the better because reading promotes positive attitudes towards books. It also introduces him to the form and structure of the written language. If your child has a favorite book that he asks you to read over and over, do so. Children continuously learn from the repeated reading of their favorite stories. It helps them to become aware of sound patterns, it allows for the recognition of seeing familiar words, and it helps them learn to predict the outcome.
2. Model Literacy
Children copy their parents. And when your child sees you reading daily – both for pleasure and for function – she is more likely to become an avid reader herself. When she sees you reading, visiting libraries and checking out books, giving and receiving books as gifts, borrowing them and loaning books to friends, she will know that you place a high value on reading. More so, seeing her parents and siblings reading on a regular basis sends her two important messages : (1) reading is important in this family and (2) everyone in this family—regardless of their age—reads.
3. Immerse Your Child in Language with a Literacy-Rich Environment
Books are not the only way of providing your child with exposure to written language. Children can learn about reading from the environmental print that they see around them everyday. This includes things like labels, signs, and other kinds of print. Try pointing out letters and words on the things your child deals with everyday such as the cereal box, the names of the colors on their crayons, words in advertisements and so on. Label bins of toys and your child’s belongings. Put labels on the door, window, light switch, lamps and anything else you can think of. Even simply pointing out objects and describing what you are doing while dressing your infant, grocery shopping with your toddler, or cooking with your preschooler helps build that foundation for literacy.
Even simply talking and interacting with your child supports his budding language skills, regardless of his age. Cooing, singing, and speaking, as well as responding to their attempts at language all help. Reciting nursery rhymes, doing fingerplays, reading rhyming books and singing songs all introduce him to the rhythm and patterns of language, as well as help him make connections between words and meanings. Early childhood audio stories and musical tapes as well as videos are also highly recommended for sharing with your child. Baby’s Brilliant actually offers all of their Read Along Series books in a video format, which are narrated by a mother of two, lightly orchestrated, and presented at a comfortable pace for children to enjoy. Right now they have two great books out, and more on the way.
Learning a love for reading starts at an early age and most often starts at home. If you make the effort to encourage, support and engage all aspects of literacy in your home, your children will enjoy reading and writing for the rest of their lives.
