What is Early Literacy?
We know that parents and caregivers have the greatest opportunity to help their children with reading readiness. There are specific things that they can do to help their child become ready to read yet they may be unaware of what those activities are.
Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they learn to read and write. This reading readiness begins at birth. The experiences throughout the early years before starting school profoundly affect the development of literacy. Research shows that children need to have six basic skills as a foundation prior to learning how to read. These skills are:
- Phonological Awareness – the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.
- Vocabulary – knowing the names of things.
- Print Motivation – a child’s interest and enjoyment of books.
- Print Awareness – noticing print is all around us, knowing how to handle a book and understand how to follow the written words on a page.
- Letter Knowledge – knowing that letters are different from each other, that the same letter can look different, and that each letter has a name and is related to sounds.
- Narrative Skills – the ability to describe things and events and to tell stories.
What is an Early Literacy Storytime?
Early Literacy Storytimes are enhanced regular storytimes that model for parents and caregivers ways they can help a child develop the six early literacy skills. Key elements that you will find in an early literacy storytime are:
- Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend storytimes with their children.
- At least one early literacy skill is highlighted during each storytime.
- The storytime leader models activities during the storytime that build early literacy skills.
- Books and activities selected promote the use of early literacy skills.
- Information is given to parents and caregivers either verbally, through a handout or both about ways they can build early literacy skills with their child/children at home.
You can get more information about Early Literacy from the following library websites:
Multnomah County Library
Birth to Six: Early Literacy
Putting this information into practice:
1. Observe an Early Literacy Storytime. What skill was highlighted? What tips did the storyteller give to parents and caregivers? Was there a handout or take-home sheet with additional tips provided? What books did the storyteller use to highlight the early literacy skill?
2. Read a variety of picture books and determine which early literacy skill(s) they are representative of.
3. Take a regular storytime outline and enhance it with Early Literacy components.