Preschool and Elementary teachers work hard to make their classrooms "literacy-rich," that is, filled with opportunities for literacy learning beyond normal classwork. This article from Reading Rockets offers teachers ways to create literacy-rich classrooms, some of which can be adapted to school or public libraries. Some of the ideas I took away were:
- Adding print materials like maps, schedules, graphs and calendars to displays!
- Including "writing" and storytelling in craft projects (have children tell a story about what they've created; parent can help write it down)
It also discusses research that demonstrates why it's important for children to begin developing literacy skills long before they begin to learn to read print. Check it out!