Ready to Read: Early Literacy

It is never too soon to read with your child.  Children of all ages will benefit from reading!  Reading as a family is a great way to encourage reading at home and will also demonstrate the value of information and imagination.   Some great tips to promote preschool literacy as you read and when you are at home are:

• Spend time having conversations.  Oral language can help your child develop vocabulary and knowledge about the world around them.  Talk about things they see at home or in their community. Visit your public library or attend story hour.
• Play with language.  Read books that have rhymes or listen for sounds that are the same. Ex:  Johnny jumped and jogged his way to Joey's house. 
• Teach your child about letters.  Point out letters and words in their own enviornment.  Talk about the letters in their name, letters on signs, or other objects around the house.
• Read aloud every day.  Talk about the stories you read from begining to end.  Who were the characters, how did they feel, and what they think will happen next.
• Encourage your child to draw and write.  Have markers, crayons, pencils, and a variety of resources to write with.  This will help your child connec their reading to their own writing.
• Use your native language.  Use your native language when you talk, read, play, and sing to create a strong sense of self and to build a strong foundation.  You are and will always be the most important educator to your child. 
•  Remember, children learn best when they see adults using these same skills and the number one way to get young children interested in reading is to read together EVERY day!

( These tips and information can be found along with a variety of other great resources from the  U.S. Department of Education's Early Reading First Program 2005)