Of course literacy has everything to do with reading… but your child can do a whole lot of literacy learning before they can actually read! The best pre-reading activity you can do with your baby or toddler is to enjoy a book together, whether you read all the words or not. Making books and reading a cozy experience with a loved one will help kids associate reading with happiness and fun.
One great way to get kids interested in books is to simply let them play with them! Babies can hold board books and turn the pages, open and close them, or even just bang them on the floor. Toddlers can flip through the pages and “tell” their own stories based on the pictures. Try flipping a book upside down or backwards – if your child turns it rightside up, that’s a step toward knowing how books “work!”
If you’re reading with a preschooler, slide your finger along under the words as you read. Stop at simple words and repeat them while you point to the word. Pick out familiar letters (for example, the first letter of your child’s name) and search for it in both uppercase and lowercase forms.
Reading to pre-readers is not just fun, it’s creating a lifelong habit that will nudge your child to becoming a reader later in life.