It’s never too early to read with your child. Reading can be a bonding and engaging experience even if children are not yet reading on their own. Here are five strategies you can implement at home to promote early literacy development! 

Strategy 1: Practice letter SOUNDS! 

We often teach children letter names but can sometimes forget to practice the letter sounds as well. For example, perhaps your child can sing the alphabet song or point to the letter ‘A’ when asked but is unsure what sound “A” makes. We can model these sounds in reading and play activities. A fun song to hear the letter sounds is the Phonics Song. It says, “A is for apple, ah-ah-apple. B is for ball, b-b-ball” and so forth.  

Strategy 2: Practice RHYMING! 

When a child learns to rhyme, they begin to distinguish sounds in words and recognize how sounds can be the same and different. These are crucial skills for reading development. Some ways to practice rhyming at home and in sessions at Developing Hands include reading rhyming books, singing nursery rhymes, playing rhyming games, and filling in the blank during rhyming activities. For example, after you’ve read a rhyme several times, pause expectantly before saying the rhyming word. Ask your child what word comes next. If they respond with the rhyming word, you could say, ‘Yes. ___ rhymes with ___’ to reinforce the concept of rhyming.  

Strategy 3: Build VOCABULARY! 

Children learn vocabulary by listening, speaking, reading, and writing. As children build vocabulary, they have more words stored in their memory. Vocabulary impacts our reading comprehension – when children come across new words when reading, they can match them to previously heard or spoken words which helps them understand the meaning. We can help our children build vocabulary by: 

• Speaking with them 
• Reading with them 
• Talking about daily activities 
• Avoiding using simpler vocabulary only and using more complex words to broaden children’s vocabulary 
• Using words in different scenarios 
• Giving everything a name – e.g., Look at the tree! This is the trunk, and these are the leaves 
• Using describing words and action words 

Strategy 4: Talk about the MEANINGS of words! 

When you use a new word, talk about the meaning in child-friendly terms. You could help a child figure out the meanings by talking through it, doing actions, or pointing to pictures!  

Strategy 5: READ together! 

All the strategies above can be used when reading together! Naturally, reading is an awesome way to encourage literacy development. Try reading in your daily routine and encouraging your child to participate and have fun! Some children are less interested in reading – try to find books with rhyming or repetitive text, or fun colors, textures, or sounds to make reading time more fun!  

Check out this Youtube Video by the Aurora Public Library for additional Early Literacy Practices you can use to help your children!

For more information and tips on how to read books efficiently with your child, read here!