Get your children ready to read, birth to two

Here is what you can do to help your child get ready to read. The information is provided by The Early Literacy Initiative from PLA/ALSC, divisions of the American Library Association. To see the PDF file of this page, click here.

Activities to build on the six pre-reading skills :

1. Vocabulary
• Talk with your baby or toddler about what is going on around you.
• When your baby babbles or your child talks, listen carefully and answer.
• Ask your baby or toddler lots of questions. Even if she does not have the words to answer, she learns that questions are invitations for her to respond.
• Speak clearly. Use short sentences. Repeat yourself when your child shows interest.
• Speak in the language that is most comfortable for you.
• Read together every day. Books have pictures of things you may not see often. Name the pictures as you point to them — this helps children learn new words.
• Research shows that children who have larger vocabularies are better readers. Knowing many words helps children recognize written words and understand what they read.
2. Print Motivation
• Begin reading books early — even when your child is a newborn.
• Make book sharing time special time — just you and your baby or toddler.
• Let your baby or toddler see you reading.
• Visit your public library often.
• Children who enjoy being read to will want to learn how to read.
3. Print Awareness
• Use board books or cloth books and have your child hold the book.
• If there are only a few words on the page, point to each word as you say it.
• Read aloud every day — print labels,signs, menus. Print is everywhere!
• Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful.
4. Narrative Skills
• Talk to your child about what you are doing.
• Tell your child stories.
• Encourage your toddler to tell you about things. Listen patiently and ask questions.
• Read favorite books again and again.
• Talking with children develops comprehension skills that will help them understand what they read.
5. Phonological Awareness
• Say nursery rhymes so that your child hears words that rhyme. Emphasize the rhyming words.
• Add actions as you sing a song or recite a poem. This helps your child break down language into separate words.
• Singing songs is a good way to help your child hear syllables in words. In most songs, each syllable in a word gets a different note.
• Make up your own silly, nonsense rhymes.
• Say rhymes and sing songs in the language that is most comfortable for you.
• Being able to hear the sounds that make up words helps children sound out written words as they begin to read.
6. Letter Knowledge
• Help your baby and toddler see and feel different shapes as you play.(Say,“The ball is round.”)
• Read alphabet books.
• Point out letters on toys, food boxes and other objects around the house.
• Talk with your toddler about what is the same and what is different between two things.

© Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 American Library Association.