Early Literacy

Have a conversation with your child today. Boy, that sounds easy… maybe? Talking at or to someone isn’t the same as talking with someone. Obviously young children aren’t the best conversationalists, but in order for them to learn how a conversation works (back and forth interaction), and to hear more words in and about their environment, you need to talk with them.

In our virtual storytimes this week, we talked a little bit about our essential workers, from grocery store employees to mail carriers to healthcare workers. You can honor them by encouraging your children to take on these roles in dramatic play!

You’ve probably heard that play is a child’s work. It’s true! Dramatic play helps children:

Family Storytime is LIVE on Zoom starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October storytimes, S'More Stories.) You'll find all of our storytimes on our Story Time Events page. You can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.

Wiggle Worms is LIVE on Zoom starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October storytimes, S'More Stories.) You'll find all of our storytimes on our Story Time Events page. You can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.

Storytime break! We are taking a break from posting new Stories and Songs, but you can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.

Be sure to tune in for our other LIVE Zoom storytimes starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October storytimes, S'More Stories.) You'll find all of our storytimes on our Story Time Events page.

Babytime is LIVE on Zoom starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October storytimes, S'More Stories.) You'll find all of our storytimes on our Story Time Events page. You can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.

Writing is part of early literacy – but it takes a lot of coordination, fine motor skills, and even shape recognition to write! None of those skills are possible until children are older, so let’s focus on the pre-writing skills… all babies have to start somewhere, and scribbling is the first step toward learning how to use a writing utensil!

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.

Are you working on 1000 Books Before Kindergarten? Keep going! This program is still running even if the library is closed, and you can count absolutely everything anyone read with your child – even ebooks!

As we introduced last week, Early Literacy is what a child knows about reading or writing long before he or she can actually read or write. One part of this knowledge is simply hearing and learning spoken language. Singing is such an excellent way to share new words with babies, toddlers, and even preschoolers!