Literacy

Reading Development and Book Awareness

Children should be exposed to books and other forms of literacy starting at birth. As your child grows they should learn basic independent reading skills through modeling from you in addition to time spent reading together. As you teach your child to do so, read a book next to them while they are reading a book of their own. It's important to teach them that even if they can't read words, they can read pictures to tell the story. This helps kids be strong readers, understand how to care for a book, builds vocabulary, story telling, etc.

Attending to a book independently

By age three, kids should be able to attend to books for 5 minutes on their own. Meaning they can be reading their own book while someone is reading next to them. This can be difficult for some kids and it is important to find materials they enjoy. To help increase your child's ability to attend to books look for books that your child is interested in such as farms, trucks, textures to feel, flap books, books that make noise, etc. Also read environmental print such as cereal boxes, food boxes, restaurant bags and signs, toy packages, etc.

Basic Book Skills for preschool 3+

Holds a book appropriately

Look at pictures in books

Point to pictures in books

Label pictures in the book

Points to pictures when labeled by an adult

Look at a book by skipping through chunks of pages

Can turn one page at a time - board book and then paper books

Advanced Book Skills 3+

Retell a familiar story by memory or from looking at the pictures.

Tells what's happening on the page, more than just labeling pictures. Ex. eating food, dog is running, she is sad

Knows the difference between pictures and words.