Teaching Early Literacy

My 1-1/2 year old son was introduced to the letter “I” just one time and the rest is history. I can say, for certain, that  “I” is his favorite letter! He is consumed with exhilaration when he sees his “I” -- so much so that we all need to know that it is present. I knew -- from my experience with my daughter -- that I could not go wrong with teaching my son early on. He is just as bright as she is, so I wanted to utilize this time to indulge his mind.

Letter recognition is a stepping stone...

I noticed he had been picking up on the ABCs just from watching Sesame Street, so I decided to further encourage letter recognition. Why do this at such an early age? You would be amazed at the information little tykes soak up; they are sponges! This is an excellent time in their lives to learn, so what better time to instill early literacy?

There are six pre-reading skills children should possess prior to reading:

1. Print Motivation
2. Vocabulary
3. Letter Knowledge
4. Print Awareness
5. Narrative Skills
6. Phonological Awareness

As your child's first teacher, you can assist with building these pre-reading skills through some of the following:

• Trace letters with fingers
• Read aloud in a snuggle session
• Attend storytimes
• Play rhyming games and fingerplays
• Sing ABCs and other songs
• Provide alphabet games that introduce word and letter recognition and phonics, such as with the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set
• Clap syllables of words
• Introduce the author and illustrator, as well as the anatomy of a book
• Supply a rich stash of books from the library.

Our children imitate us. For example, my son now holds a book while “reading” aloud. He will finish the last page with “the end.” Remember, reading should be fun so make it that way! Before you know it, you will have a reading machine.