Early Childhood Literacy at Home
By: Lindsay Cieri
Everyone can enjoy a good book! Reading has many benefits for the early learner such as an increased vocabulary, development of reading comprehension skills, and understanding of print concepts and story structures. Reading is a lifelong skill that can be an enjoyable hobby as your children age. Why not start fostering a love of reading? Here’s how to infuse literacy into your child’s home life!
Create a Nighttime Schedule that Includes Reading: Allow your child to pick out a story that you read together. This is also important bonding time for you and your child. As your child becomes older, encourage nightly independent reading and technology-free time.
Utilize your Local Library: Many libraries offer free events and story times. Try connecting with the librarians about new or popular children’s literature and authors.
Create a Cozy Reading Area: Do you have a small nook or corner in your home that could serve as a reading area? If so, consider making it a cozy space for your child to spend time reading. You can do this by adding a small tent, book shelf or basket to hold books, fluffy pillows, blankets, and twinkling lights to the area. Try using items you have around your home, checking deals online, thrift or dollar stores in your area to find some items for a cozy reading area.
Find Stories that Connect with your Child’s Interests: In order to engage your child, they need to be interested in the material they are reading!
Give Books as Gifts: Books make wonderful gifts for children of all ages. If you give your child a book for a special occasion, try writing a special message inside the book.
Create a Home Library: Books can be thrifted or purchased based on your preference. Invest in some of your child’s favorite books and consider purchasing books that are stories of diversity and inclusion.
Ask Questions to Make Connections:
When reading with your child, ask questions to engage them in the story. Asking questions also can help your child develop their conversational, material retention, and listening skills. Some potential questions to ask your child:
“Can you find the (name of the object) on the page?”
“Where do you see the (color) on the page?”
“How many (name of object) do you see? Let’s count!”
“Do you remember when we went to the (name of place) like in the story?”
“What was your favorite part of the story?”
Add Hands-on Activities to Storytime:
What is the theme of the story you are reading? Depending on the theme, there are ways to add hands-on activities to add another level of engagement. Some ideas include:
Art projects: Example: You read a book about mixing colors like Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh, then make abstract art by blending paint colors on sheets of paper.
Cooking activities: Example: You read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and then make cookies (or enjoy some!) with your child.
Going on a Scavenger Hunt: Example: If you read a story about flowers, go on a nature walk and try to find all the flowers that were in the story or the colors of the flowers in the story.
Creating a Sensory Bin: Early learners connect with what they are learning though hands-on experiences and manipulatives.
Sensory bins create sensorial experiences for children that allow them to connect with what they are learning. There are many variations of sensory bins. Sometimes, sensory bins can be calming to children, depending on the materials inside the sensory bin and if the child finds them relaxing.
Why not create one at home? Start by filling a plastic shoe box or plastic food storage container with dry pasta, rice, or beans. Add small objects or toys that connect with the story you read with your child. Add spoons, cups or measuring cups and allow your child to work on their fine motor skills while looking for the objects.
Ask your child questions as they find the objects that relate back to the story. Example: If you read a story about farm animals you could ask: “That toy cow looks like the one in the story, what sound does a cow make?”
Utilize Environmental Print Through Play:
Environmental print is in our everyday lives! It is the print found on labels on food boxes and items and on restaurant and store signs.
Reading environmental print is key for early learners in their literacy development.
Along with pointing out environmental print on your child’s favorite cereal or snack boxes at home or in the grocery story, you can add some environmental print to pretend play activities.
Try creating a “restaurant” with menus that have pictures of common food items your child may enjoy at home.
You can also save clean, empty boxes of food items that your child enjoys at home and use a bookshelf to make an at-home “grocery store.”
Not only do these activities expose your child to environmental print, but they also are opportunities to connect with your child through play.
We love reading at VMNY! Connect with us for more ideas on how to make literacy enjoyable and fun for your child.
