Literacy in the Library

TOOLS FOR INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME LIFELONG READERS AND LEARNERS

6 Early Literacy Skills

February/March 2010

Sharing language with your child at every opportunity is the secret to success!

Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read or write. The 6 Early Literacy Skills help prepare your child for success in school and lead to prosperity and happiness later in life!

What are those 6 early literacy skills?

Vocabulary - knowing the names of things. Helpful activities:

Name everything you see on a walk
Name the items in the grocery store
Identify shapes

Print Motivation - a child's interest in and enjoyment of books. Helpful activities:

Cuddle up with your child and read a book together
Attend a library story time
Read a book about your child's favorite interest

Print Awareness - noticing print everywhere; knowing how to handle a book, knowing how we follow the words on a page. Helpful activities:

Point to the title of a book as you read it
Have your child hold the book as you read it
Let your child explore a book on their own

Narrative Skills - being able to understand and tell stories and being able to describe things. Helpful activities:

Tell your baby a story
Have your child tell a favorite story
Retell a story together after you read it

Letter Knowledge - learning that letters are different from each other, that each letter has a name, and that specific sounds go with specific letters. Helpful activities:

Sing the alphabet song
Tell your child how his or her name is spelled
Point out letters on signs

Phonological Awareness - the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. Helpful activities:

Sing a song together
Read a poem together
Talk to your child in words that rhyme

There are so many things you can do with young children to help them enjoy language, books and reading. Patience and kindness are key to interacting with your child around language. Here are a few tips to empower your child to communicate with you:

Sit at the child’s level and maintain eye contact
Ask questions in words they can understand in a calm, soft voice
Concentrate on what your child is saying
Notice how the child feels

See the Newsletter Archive and Babble, Scribble, READ! for ideas and activities that promote these language skills.

Literacy in the Library

6 Early Literacy Skills

February/March 2010

What are those 6 early literacy skills?

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