Emergent Literacy-Part 1 (Reading)

BOOKS!  BOOKS!  BOOKS!  LETTERS! 
PAPER &  PENCIL/CRAYONS/MARKERS!  CONVERSATION! PUPPETS!  COSTUMES!  STORY FIGURES!  BOOKS!  BOOKS!  BOOKS

Emergent Literacy is the building blocks of reading and writing.  A fundamental ALL CHILDREN need to succeed in this world in which we live.  So what can you do to help you child?  Again each day will include 5-10 suggestions to help them in what many educators call their formative years (years before they enter kindergarten):

• Children need books!  Books that teach basic skills (colors, shapes, numbers, letters); Books that tell a story with a beginning, middle and end.  The length of the book depends on the child.  The style of the book depends on the child (boars, plastic, cloth, hardcover, soft cover).  But every home needs books appropriate for your child.  There should be books that your child can pick up and look at themselves and ones you can read to them. 
• READ to your child each and every day more than one time a day.  The more you read the more they will learn.  Talk about what you have read.  Check for understanding.  Point to pictures.  Take your finger and follow the words, so a child sees you are reading from top to bottom, left to right. 
• Draw pictures about what you have read together (or paint . . .)  have the child tell you what they drew as a dictation and write it down to show them that their spoken words can become written words just like the ones in a book.
• You need letters (beads, magnets, plastic, large, blocks . . .) Any type of letters.  Start with the letters in your child's name.  Show them the letter.  Tell them what it is.  How it sounds.  Show them how it goes together to spell their name.  How they all sound when you put the individual sounds together.  Have your child practice identifying and sounding letters on the refrigerator, or beading onto a string (first to spell their name).  Have them take their finger and outline it following the path as if they were printing it. Have them sort the letters by shape (circles, slants . . .), have them sort by color.  Then have them try to write the letters on paper, chalk boards or marker boards.  Make games out of the letters (Sept.  will include many letter games to help with identification and phonemics). 
• You need puppets, costumes, props, figures, . . .  that will allow your child to retell certain stories on their own.  This helps them illustrate their comprehension and understanding of what you have read.  For instance if your book has a butter fly or a caterpillar create puppets out of socks or bags to make it fun.  Then the next time you tell the story have them use the puppet to help.  Then after reading the book several times, you may see your child telling the story using their own words but following the plot using their puppet.  You can do the same thing with costumes, etc.  Be creative.  Have fun, the more you are involved the more fun it will be for your child unless they have a playmate.
• Model reading not just children's books you read aloud to your child.  Show your child you appreciate reading yourself.  Read a book, or use your iPad of Kindle to read a book, the newspaper, etc.  Use the devices as well as the computer to share books with your child during the day as well.  Some sites even have interactive activities that reinforce the book.  (I will provide a list in Sept.)
• Again be consistent, follow through, most important, make time to read each and everyday!