Early Literacy: Home

Early literacy is made up of everything you know about reading ... before you're actually able to read.

A child who is getting ready to read may point out letters they spot "in the wild", match letters or letter groups to sounds, retell a story, or make predictions about what will happen next in a story. They may also display interest in and comfort with books, demonstrate curiosity and motivation to build knowledge, and take ownership of the reading experience by participating in turning pages or asking to go back and reread a page.

Every Child Ready to Read identifies six key skills for preparing to read:

• Print awareness and motivation: Being interested in and enjoying books, noticing print everywhere, knowing how to follow words on a page
• Vocabulary: Knowing all kinds of words
• Background knowledge: What you know about the world through your experiences
• Letter knowledge: Knowing letter names and sounds
• Phonological awareness: Hearing and recognizing the smaller sounds in words
• Narrative skills/oral language: Telling stories, describing things, making predictions

Every activity can be an opportunity for building the six skills, but these five practices are focus areas for parents, caregivers, educators and anyone who works with young children. Whenever possible, ensure that the activities you provide for early literacy incorporate one or more of these!

Talk: Engaging children in conversation

Builds vocabulary, helps the adult assess understanding; allows self-expression; surfaces curiosity; gives children ownership of their opinions and knowledge

Sing: Singing with children

Delivers language in a fun way; melody and rhyme build pattern recognition; music activates different parts of the brain than speech.

Read: Reading aloud to children

Reinforces phonics recognition; builds positive emotional associations around books; immerses children in art and literature; adults and children participate together in rolling out the story.

Write: Scribbling, drawing, intentional marks on paper

Gives children agency; develops manual dexterity; provides kinesthetic feedback; provides a low-cost, low-skill way for children to test ideas and express understandings.

Play: Dramatic play, puzzles, blocks, sensory activities

Creates opportunities interaction with adults and peers; develops dexterity and spacial awareness; encourages imagination and creation of story elements.