This article was written to help guide parents in their quest to promote a very early love of reading, writing, and learning. Thank you to Dr. Carianne Bernadowski who teaches to future teachers how to teach reading and Dr. Deborah Sciligano who has taught primary elementary students for thirty years, for brainstorming these activities with me.

Exposure and Lap Time
The main way to support early literacy learning is exposure to reading and lap time. A child who is exposed to books will come to see the purpose and joy associated with reading. Take your child to the library, book stores, plays about books, and take a book to the park and sit in the sun and read together. Be sure that your child sees you reading daily (for example a book, a menu, the newspaper, or directions) so they understand that there is a purpose to this \”text\” you are using. Explain to the child why you are reading, what you learned, and how it helped you accomplish the task.

Lap time has been attributed to children who possess early literacy skills. The more time you spend reading with and to your child, the more your child will come to see books as valuable. Once your child begins to \”mimic read,\” sitting with a book and turning the pages, you know that he/she is ready for the next step, listening to stories with plot. Remember that you shouldn’t get discouraged if your child doesn\’t \”listen\” to the entire book, in the beginning they won\’t. The important thing is that you are reading to your child, and even if they are not sitting on your lap, they are being exposed to words.

Modeling and Fun Practice
Kids need to see their parents modeling how to write or form the letters and words. Have them copy your letters. Here are some fun ways that young children can practice creating simple words by using:

– letters in the tub that stick to the wall with water
– magnet letters on the refrigerator (store them on a cookie sheet for on-the-go learning)
– alphabet macaroni and cereal letters to have them create captions for photographs or pictures from a magazine
– fingers in shaving cream in the bath tub
– sidewalk chalk for outdoor practice
– alphabet and number cookie cutters with cookie dough (for yummy letters) or Playdough for letters that can be reshaped into new letters

Tell Me a Story
One of my favorite keepsakes from my childhood is an old black journal. The treasure inside is multiple stories that I told my mother when I was three years old that she wrote down. She had me illustrate it and I am delighted that I will be able to share the stories that came up with my daughter when we sit down to write her “first book”. Have your child dictate a story to you as you write it down or type it into the computer.

Party Time!
To celebrate reading, host a literary festival with your family and neighbors. Each member can bring their favorite selection (poetry, rhyme, story, etc.) to the festival. You can have a theme and accompany it with food and beverages. Decorations and artwork can become part of this gala. Every person can read their selection. Pre-readers can buddy with someone to \”read\” or they can sing a favorite song or act out, dance, or put gestures to what someone else is reading. Pre-verbal babies or toddlers can come dressed as a character from their adult reader\’s selection. This can become an annual event or even a more frequent occurrence. A reading festival could become a treasured family tradition that promotes reading and provides bonding time as well. Next month’s article will feature how parents can help their children who read basic words to grow in their love of reading.

Author Bio: Dr. Shellie Hipsky is a Professor of Education at Robert Morris University. Her latest book \”Mentoring Magic: Pick the Card for Your Success\” is a powerful tool for students around the globe to network and find, form, and sustain a mentoring relationship. Please visit http://mentoringmagic.net

Category: Parenting
Keywords: Sciligano,Hipsky,Bernadowski,reading,learning to read,teaching,parenting,letters,early literacy