Becoming a reader does not happen in a day, a month, or even a year. Nor are the skills necessary for reading something that can, or should, be taught exclusively by a child’s kindergarten teacher. Emergent literacy, also called early literacy, refers to skills that a child can begin to master from infanthood, and that will contribute to learning to read and write at a later age (http://www.clel.org/). By exposing children to a variety of print material, music, and motor activities, as well as searching for letters and words in the world around them at the earliest age possible, parents can instill pre-reading skills. When the child does reach school age, learning to read and write will be a natural progression.
Through this blog, we have attempted to create a highly useful, practical online resource for parents and caregivers. Adults can search four main categories through the tabs at the top of the page—Books, Music and Movement, Technology, and Resources for Parents—to learn about how to provide a rich environment that will hone pre-reading abilities for the children in their lives. In particular, we will focus on how these materials and activities develop the six early literacy skills: print motivation, print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and narrative skills.
Parents may wonder how singing, doing finger plays, and reading books to a one- or two-year-old can have an impact on their future academic success. This blog will answer those questions. Our hope is that with the tools provided here, caregivers will feel inspired and empowered to empower children and set them on the road to literacy.
Viewers will also find a full list of books we suggest reading to your children, in Appendix A, under the References tab, and links to some of our favorite authors, under Great Authors, on the right.
Viewers will also find a full list of books we suggest reading to your children, in Appendix A, under the References tab, and links to some of our favorite authors, under Great Authors, on the right.
Reference
Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy home page (2011). Colorado
