Early Literacy: More than ABCs

Giving Your Child a Head Start in Reading

X By Julie Christensen, Contributor , last updated April 19, 2012

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Choose sturdy board boo s !or babies and toddlers"#photo: Banana$toc %Banana$toc %&etty '(a)es*

Before a child can learn to read, he must first understand language and have a storehouse of words. Because children learn language by first hearing s o!en words, it"s never too early to start s ea!ing or singing to your little one.
Renee Mizrahi, author of "Secrets to Reading Success"

#hen most eo le thin! of early literacy, they thin! of the $BCs %% but recogni&ing the letters of the al habet is actually one of the last ste s in re aring to read. 'ust as children must sit u , crawl and stand before they can wal!, youngsters go through redictable stages of early literacy develo ment before they are ready to read. (ost arents !now that reading to their child is im ortant, but there are many other things you can do to ensure your child is ready to read. Sim le games, writing activities and high%)uality children"s literature are e*cellent tools to set your child on the ath to a lifetime of learning.

+istening ,s +earning
-ral language develo ment is the first ste in early literacy. $ baby learns to communicate her needs first through cries and later through words as she develo s language. #hen adults res ond warmly to her, she discovers that words are a owerful way to e* ress ideas and get her needs met. .his desire to communicate will later fuel her motivation to read and write. /.he more you tal! with your little one and the more words that you use when he is resent, the more words your child will have in his vocabulary,0 said Renee (i&rahi, a reading s ecialist and author of 1Secrets to Reading Success.1 /Before a child can learn to read, he must first understand language and have a storehouse of words,1 she notes. 1Because children learn language by first hearing s o!en words, it"s never too early to start s ea!ing or singing to your little one. You can tal! or sing to your new baby or young child when changing his dia er, giving him a bath, feeding him brea!fast or lunch or 2ust going about your everyday activities.0

.i s for 3evelo ing 4arly +iteracy S!ills

+Children do not auto(atically learn to read in !irst )rade, they (ust be prepared,, said -enee Mi.rahi, readin) specialist and Ad/unct 0ro!essor at 1in)sborou)h Co((unity Colle)e in 2e3 4or " +Certain abilities no3n as readin) readiness s ills ha5e to be in place !irst" A readin) proble( in the !irst )rade can sno3ball and beco(e (ore di!!icult to correct !or each year it6s ne)lected", 4ou don7t need e8pensi5e e9uip(ent or supplies to !oster early literacy s ills" Model a lo5e !or readin) and 3ritin) yoursel! and incorporate literacy into e5eryday acti5ities" $usan B" :on ;erau<Cornelius, Early Literacy $pecialist !or the Early Learnin) Coalition o! =ran)e County, Cali!ornia, o!!ers se5eral si(ple strate)ies: $upport lan)ua)e de5elop(ent by respondin) to your child, sin)in) and ha5in) 9uality con5ersations throu)hout the day"

$upport readin) de5elop(ent by readin) to your child daily" >elp your child identi!y his na(e and the letters in his na(e" Ma e story ti(e co(!ortable and !un" :isit the library !re9uently" 0oint out print 5ersus pictures and letters 5ersus nu(bers" >elp children learn to trac indi5idual 3ords and understand that spaces (ar the place 3here one 3ord ends and the ne8t be)ins" ?o encoura)e 3ritten lan)ua)e, set up a 3ritin) center 3ith pens, (ar ers, paper, en5elopes and o!!ice supplies" ;ra3 pictures to)ether, 3rite stories and (a e charts"

Story .ime Builds a 5oundation, +iterally

-eadin) to your child is one o! the easiest and (ost en/oyable 3ays to build 5erbal s ills" #photo: Banana$toc %Banana$toc %&etty '(a)es* /4arly literacy is what children !now about reading and writing before they actually read and write,0 said (egan Reide, senior director, education rograms for 6inderCare +earning Centers and its affiliated organi&ations. 1Research shows that children arriving at !indergarten with strong early literacy s!ills are more li!ely to be successful in learning to read and write.0 .hrough stories, songs, finger lays and games, children gain rint% conce t and honemic awareness s!ills. Reading to your child for 2ust 78 minutes each day is one of the best ways to develo these s!ills, says Susan B. 9on 3erau%Cornelius, early literacy s ecialist for the 4arly +earning Coalition of -range County, California.

Several things ha en when arents read to a young child. .he child comes to understand the structure of a story : that most boo!s have a beginning, middle and end. Children learn that rint runs from to to bottom and left to right. +ater, children learn that the letters ma!e sounds and, when ut together, create words. Choose stories that have a sim le lot, clear illustrations and engaging te*t. (ost children en2oy humor, rhymes and a re etitive, redictable language. 4* ress your enthusiasm for reading often. Say something li!e /.his is one of my favorite stories because , love the ictures0 or /, can"t wait to read this funny story to you.0 Read with gusto and animation. ,f a child doesn"t res ond to a story, ut it away and ic! something different. Select boo!s that reflect a child"s interests and !ee reading time layful and rela*ing. (onitor a child"s interest level and com rehension as you read stories. You"ll soon develo an ear and eye for )uality children"s literature. #hen reading to your child, occasionally oint out rint conce ts. Say something li!e /+oo!, these s)uiggles are letters that ma!e the words to the story. .he words always start at the to and go to the bottom.0 +ater, oint out individual letters and their sounds, alliterations or rhyming words. Preschool children en2oy the natural rhythms of language and res ond to rhyming games, songs and finger lays. .hese activities train their ears to hear the different sounds in words, and will lead to later reading success. /Phonemic awareness s!ills start with listening s!ills %% teach children to ay attention to all !inds of sounds. Start by laying musical chairs or rhythm cla ing games,0 said 6risten B2orn, reading consultant and curriculum develo er. /.hese s!ills lead right into honics.0 ,ntroduce the letter names by singing them or re eating them, advises B2orn. +ater, connect the letter sha e with its name, and finally, the sound. Practice and review until children are )uic!, accurate and fle*ible at this.

,t Starts #ith a Scribble

Learnin) to dra3 and 3rite helps build literacy s ills and helps to de5elop !ine (otor s ills as 3ell" #photo: Creatas '(a)es%Creatas%&etty '(a)es* Preschoolers en2oy writing and illustrating stories, and these e* eriences allow children to e* ress their thoughts and ideas. ,nitially, most reschoolers scribble or ma!e random mar!s. +ater, the drawings rogress to recogni&able figures, and soon after, children begin writing sim le words to describe their ictures. Give your child a 2ournal or noteboo! to write in, and rovide a variety of writing tools. $lso, give children o ortunities to develo fine motor s!ills before writing letters. Playdough, bristle bloc!s, stringing beads and ainting all build the muscles necessary for writing. Show your child how to ma!e the stro!es that ma!e u letters, such as hori&ontal and vertical lines, half circles and circles. Children must master these stro!es before they can successfully write letters. ;se your child"s interests as a s ringboard for learning. ,f your child is obsessed with sna!es or dragons, chec! out library boo!s on the sub2ect and encourage him to write stories in his 2ournal. #or!boo!s and flash cards may hel reinforce s!ills, but they are most effective when used in combination with other meaningful strategies. Children are highly motivated to read and write as a means of communication. #hen letters are taught in isolation and solely in an out% of%conte*t manner, children may lose interest or become frustrated.

$ource: 4arly +iteracy< (ore than $BCs

How to Develop Language With Songs

By Brid)ette -ed(an, e>o3 Contributor

$in)in) son)s to your baby or youn) child helps hi( de5elop lan)ua)e s ills"
Music and songs are important early literacy tools. Any parent or teacher can use songs to help children develop language skills. This is possible because the process for developing language and for music skills is similar, as both help to develop familiarity with abstract symbols, use rhymes and patterns and use words that contribute to early literacy development. According research reported by N.L. Davies in !!!, music changes brain waves and makes them more receptive to learning. According to A"# Music and Me, students who have music instruction do better on reading comprehension tests, have better verbal memory, are more skilled at listening and have a greater vocabulary than those without music instruction.

,nstructions
1"
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Co(ple8 (usic contributes to better lan)ua)e s ills in youn) children" ?a e your child to a concert" Chec your local ne3spapers !or children7s concerts, outdoor sy(phonic concerts or choral concerts" 4ou no3 your child best" Choose e5ents that she 3ill be able to sit throu)h or that you can easily lea5e, a!ter a !e3 nu(bers"
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$in)in) a lullaby can help cal( your in!ant 3hile de5elopin) sound and speech reco)nition" $in) lullabies to your child" $in) to your child !ro( the ti(e he is in the 3o(b" 4our child 3ill associate sin)in) 3ith 9uality ti(e spent 3ith you" 4ou also are )i5in) your child early e8posure to lan)ua)e, 3hich 3ill help hi( to reco)ni.e the sounds o! speech, a ey early literacy tool"
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$in)in) to the radio is an easy 3ay to (a e (usic part o! your daily routine" Listen and sin) to (usic in the car or around the house" '! you do not no3 a lot o! son)s that you can sin) as lullabies, sin)in) to the radio (a es a )reat supple(ent" 't 3ill e8pand the nu(ber o! 3ords and sounds that your child hears and allo3s your child to hear (ultiple 5oices sin)in) in har(ony" Continue doin) this as your baby a)es" E5entually, she 3ill start sin)in) alon), thou)h at !irst, it (ay be 3ith nonsense 3ords"
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Create ne3 3ords to son)s" As your child )ets older, ta e !a(iliar son)s and (a e up ne3 3ords" 'nclude your child7s na(e in the son)s and point to photos or ob/ects around the house that you ha5e included in your son)s"
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Asse(ble toy bloc s and buildin) pieces to (a e di!!erent noises" Ma e instru(ents out o! household ite(s" @or e8a(ple, you can !ill )lasses 3ith 3ater and tap the( li)htly 3ith a spoon" 4ou can put (as in) tape o5er the end o! a paper to3el holder, !ill it 3ith beans or popcorn ernels, then tape the other end closed" 0lay the instru(ents to)ether and (a e up son)s"
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Add (o5e(ent to your (usic to help your child7s brain )ro3" Ase (otion in your son)s" Mo5e(ent and (usic to)ether help a baby7s brain )ro3" Clap to the son)s that you sin)" Ma e the (otions to B'tsy Bitsy $piderB and other son)s" March to (usic" As the brain (a es (ore connections, it is better able to de5elop lan)ua)e s ills"

-ead (ore: How to 3evelo +anguage #ith Songs