Early Learning

It is widely recognized that “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children. This is especially so during the preschool years.” (Becoming a Nation of Readers)

The good news is that parents, grandparents, childcare providers, and preschool teachers can use five simple practices — talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing—to develop language and pre-reading skills in children from birth to age five.

Recent research goes a step further. How we read with children is as important as how often we read with them. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, there are six early literacy skills that parents, child care providers and any adult who works with children should be aware of to support early literacy in young children. These skills start to develop from birth!

The six skills are Print Motivation, Vocabulary, Phonological Awareness, Narrative Skills, Print Awareness, and Letter Knowledge. There are activities related to your child’s development over the first five years that you can do to enhance each skill. For example, phonological awareness is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. Singing with babies and young children helps them hear the rhythm of language. Because each syllable is a different note, they begin to hear words broken down into parts. Listening to and saying rhymes help children hear rhyming words. This helps them realize that words are made up of smaller sounds. As they get older, there are many words games you can play together, breaking words apart and putting them together, making silly rhymes.

You can learn more about all six early literacy skills and the ways you can support your child’s early learning by asking a Youth Librarian to point you in the direction of resources for selecting books and materials, early childhood development, preparing for kindergarten, and information about child-related events at the Keene Public Library.

Suggested Books

Baby Minds: Brain-building games your baby will love by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn

The Big Book of Stories, Songs, and Sing-Alongs: Programs for babies, toddlers, and families by Beth Maddigan

The Complete Book of Activities, Games, Stories, Props, Recipes, and Dances for Young Children by Pam Schiller and Jackie Silberg

Do You Know the Muffin Man?: An essential preschool literacy resource by Pam Schiller and Thomas Moore

First Art: Art experiences for toddlers and twos by MaryAnn F. Kohl

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esmé Raji Codell by Gretchen Owocki and Yetta Goodman

More than Letters: Literacy activities for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade by Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus

Phonemic Awareness Activities for Early Reading Success: Easy, playful activities that help prepare children for phonics instruction by Wiley Blevins

Phonics from A to Z: A practical guide by Wiley Blevins

Reading Right from the Start: What parents can do in the first five years by Toni S. Bickart and Diane Trister Dodge

Ready, Set, Read: Building a love of letters and literacy through fun phonics activities by Janet Chambers

Starting out Right: A guide to promoting children’s reading success by the Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council

Story Stretchers for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos: experiences, activities, and games for popular children’s books by Shirley Raines, Karen Miller, and Leah Curry-Rood

Toddler Play, edited by Wendy S. Masi

Digital Resources

Every Child Ready to Read – Information from the Public Library Association and the Association to Library Service to Children on the six pre-reading skills research has shown that children must have in order to become ready to read.

InsideStory Flashcards – These high-quality flashcards with photographic images are downloadable and printable. Great for kids, ESL and SAT words.

Helping Your Child Become a Reader – Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Includes guidelines, information, and games.

Jim Trelease on Reading

Mother Goose Pages – This comprehensive list of nursery rhymes includes tips for reading nursery rhymes with children

National Center for Family Literacy – Dedicated to promoting literacy in children and families. Find literacy events, tips, and more in the “Resources” section.

Planet Esme – Book suggestions for children of all ages, tips for making reading fun and more from children’s book author and former teacher, Esme Raji Codell.

Read Write Think — A partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the Verizon Foundation.

Reading Rockets – Find recommended books for all ages, webcasts, author interviews, monthly quizzes about books, and more.

Zero to Three – From the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.

The information presented here is from the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® early literacy project of the Public Library Association (PLA) and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), in partnership with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a division of the National Institutes of Health. PLA and ALSC are divisions of the American Library Association.