Children between the ages of 3 and 5 years continue to be sponges - and the time is perfect for helping them learn more about their world and how talking, reading, and writing are important parts of that world.

1. Work on building your child's vocabulary, or word knowledge, through conversations and reading

2. Have conversations that encourage your child to talk about feelings and activities, including things that have happened at other times and places.

3. Rhyming, singing, tongue twisters, and playing with parts of words are important building blocks toward reading.

4. Continue reading books together and talk about what you read

5. Understanding how print works in books and other places - whether it's a sign along the road or writing their own name - is another important step on the road to reading and writing.

List: More Information - Understanding and Using Print