If your little reader sees him- or herself as such, he or she has advanced in their literacy journey to the
developing reader stage. At the beginning of this exciting phase, he or she will begin to select books that exhibit uncomplicated texts and patterns, such as
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss or
Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm by Joy Cowley, respectively. Your child will yearn for books with a larger variety of patterns toward the latter part of this stage, so search for and present books similar to
Just for You by Mercer Mayer.
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| Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer |
The developing reader gains a sense of the story by illustrations, thus associating them with print. Do not be surprised if you hear your child reading some easy words though! Simple sight words have been known to be uttered by some of these readers, like dog, cat, been, and make.
Expect to enjoy watching your child perusing over his or her choice of books for a short time, but prepare to set aside some “reading” time. Your youngster will want to share his or her selection of books with you!
Nurture your child's curiosity and fascination with early literacy. Let's take a look at how you can do so in my next post! Until then, cuddle up, open up a book or two, and share some exciting stories.
