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Sensory bin filled with colored pens, pencils, crayons, markers, etc. Paper, newspaper, lined and unlined paper, spare forms and lists to be filled in.

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Children by the time they reach first grade should already be experienced with sensory bins, the ones with rice or uncooked spaghetti; this bin will have the listed materials to encourage children to explore and develop their fine motor skills.
CA.60.5 Use a variety of tools and materials to represent ideas through the visual arts.

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Children will write a story with a beginning middle and end, create their puppets, and put on a show in their own handmade puppet theatre.

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With the children creating their own stories they will be able to demonstrate their understanding of written work, or books. They can express their creativity in the stories they come up with as well as with the puppets and theatre that they create. The children will create their puppet shows in groups of three.
CA.60.6 Assume elaborate roles in dramatic play (e.g., may play multiple roles or may stay in character for extended periods of time).
CA.60.7 Use materials and props in unique ways and are creative in finding and using materials as props desired for dramatic play.
L.60.13 Identify main components of a  story or text (the major plot points of a story or the main topic of an informational text).

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Children will pick a book that they wish to read to their peers in the dramatic play center, they will engage in symbolic play and pretend play.

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Children are naturally skilled in pretend play and symbolic play. By combining dramatic play and literacy, the children will be able to practice and further develop their literacy skills by reading books to their peers. This also helps them to develop their social skills and language skills, which in turn, helps their literacy skills.
L.60.11 Independently choose to “read” books and select a variety of texts including fiction and nonfiction.
L.60.15 Know how print is read (e.g., left to right, top to bottom, front to back or according to convention of home language).
L.60.16 Know that books have titles, authors, illustrators, or photographers.

L.60.17 Recognize words as a unit of print and that letters are grouped to form words.

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This videos explores ways that teachers and children can help to make a classroom more inclusive and welcoming to children who's first language is not English.

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Making Classrooms More Inclusive for Multilingual Learners

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Interactive Whiteboards have endless possibilities. Children can even learn to write using interactive whiteboards.

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Interactive Whiteboards for Literacy Development

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Interactive Whiteboards for Literacy Development

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Children can practice their fine motor skills with the whiteboard pens to create letters, numbers, and words. These activities can be fun, engaging, and even competitive (in a fun way). Activities can be done solo or with partners or small groups. Activities can be tailored to meet the needs of the subject material.

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One way to spice up reading and make it exciting and engaging is to make it about the children, to let them create a class video of them reading.

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Lights, Camera, Action! Class-made Video of Reading Theatre 

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Lights, Camera, Action! Class-made Video of Reading Theatre 

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Children can explore the world of technology and their way around a camera by recording each other reading stories, something about reading in front of a camera and an audience adds a level of excitement that can be very beneficial to young children, it builds their confidence and their social skills.

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Story cubes can provide endless possibilities for stories, they can be used as a class activity or an ice-breaker!

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This abacus can be used to learn the alphabet, as well as written numbers. It can adapt to children's development as they learn longer words and phrases.

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This game helps children to familiarize themselves with sight words, or high-use words. It is a quick, easy, and fun game for children to practice familiar words and expand their vocabulary and improve their grammar.

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Take part in literacy experiences at home. Taking part can develop your child's reading ability, comprehension, and language skills. It could also improve your child's interest in reading, attitude towards reading, and focus.

Engage in activities at home. This is important for your child's early literacy development. Engage in: joint reading, drawing, singing, storytelling, reciting, game playing, and rhyming. When joint reading, you and your child take turns reading parts of a book. When reading, ask her to connect to the story. Have her tell you more about what she is thinking. You can use her interests to choose books. Give positive feedback and ask open-ended questions during joint reading to boost her interest and critical thinking skills.

For young children, nursery rhymes are especially helpful for language and early literacy development. Play audiobooks or read aloud at home to increase the amount of language your child hears. Hang different kinds of print around your house. Label objects in your home. This can show the importance of language, reading, and writing. Help your child build background knowledge on a topic. Talk about everyday experiences, show your child pictures, and tell her stories.

If you use a different language at home, speak and read to your child in that language. This can help grow his vocabulary and make connections at school. It can also increase his curiosity and readiness to learn at school. Learning opportunities in a home language will help literacy learning in English.

For older children, play word games, talk about word meanings, and point out interesting or new words when reading together. Ask questions before, during, and after reading aloud. This can help your child focus attention on the ideas in the story. Before reading, look at the book cover and talk about what might happen in the story. During reading, ask what questions he has about the story. After reading, talk about what happened. Ask your child to sum it up and relate the story to what he already knows or has experienced.

For adolescents, engage in conversations, offer a literacy-rich environment, and be a strong model for reading. Talk about school, magazines, or current events. Ask them what they are reading and discuss the books. Have a lot of age-appropriate and grade-level reading material around your home. Model good literacy behavior by reading regularly yourself.

Technology can help families meet the literacy needs of their children. Serve as a "media mentor." Talk with your child about using technology in creative ways. These talks can boost language development, build background knowledge, and help your child develop useful skills. Be an educated consumer of information on the internet. Review the abilities of the developers. Check the quality, usefulness, and content of the information being shared.

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Suggested Citation

Reade, A. (2017). Supporting your child's literacy development at home. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Special Education Programs, National Center on Improving Literacy. Retrieved from http://improvingliteracy.org

References

Dunst, C., Valentine, A., Raab, M., and Hamby, D. (2013). Relationship between child participation in everyday activities and early literacy and language development. CELL Reviews, 6(1), Center for Early Literacy Learning, Morganton, NC: Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute.

Guernsey, L., Levine, M., Chiong, C., and Severns, M. (2012). Pioneering literacy in the digital wild west: Empowering parents and educators. Washington, DC: Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.

National Urban League. (2008). Parent/Guardian engagement in adolescent literacy. New York: Author.

Abstract

Taking part in literacy experiences at home can develop your child's reading ability, comprehension, and language skills. Activities that you can engage in at home include: joint reading, drawing, singing, storytelling, reciting, game playing, and rhyming. You can tailor activities to your child's age and ability level, and can incorporate technology into your learning opportunities.

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Supporting Your Child's Literacy Development at Home

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Take part in literacy experiences at home. Taking part can develop your child's reading ability, comprehension, and language skills. It could also improve your child's interest in reading, attitude towards reading, and focus. Engage in activities at home. This is important for your child's early literacy development.

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In a coronavirus world, many families are worried about their children falling behind academically. School availability has varied widely across the country and many families are choosing to or having to take a much larger role in their children's education. At the foundation of it all is literacy. Promoting literacy at home can have a huge impact on a child's learning.

While teaching a child to read can feel daunting, there are actually a lot of really simple ways to encourage a positive relationship with reading. Here are some easy ways you can boost your child's literacy skills, whether they're learning in-person, virtually, or at home:

1. Read!

Reading to your child is the best way to help children develop literacy skills. Studies from around the world have found that children who are read to by their caregivers see numerous academic benefits. Kids who are read to have stronger early literacy skills, which makes learning to read easier. They also have a larger vocabulary. Simply reading books with your child every day will have a huge impact on their literacy skills.

2. Teach children rhymes and songs

Nursery rhymes are not just cute songs children love to recite. They play a crucial role in language and literacy development. Rhymes help children develop an understanding of the patterns of language and understand the sounds and blends that are the building blocks of words. Teaching and practicing nursery rhymes will lay an important foundation for literacy.

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3. Model reading behavior you want to see

If you want to encourage literacy at home, make sure to model that behavior at home. Set aside time to turn off distractions like the television or your phone and sit down with a good book. This type of modeling will be powerful as children get older and are able to read independently. They'll see how they can incorporate reading into their daily lives even as other activities demand their attention.

4. Turn on the captions

Reading doesn't just have to be with a book. We all watch online videos, television, and movies. Promote literacy by simply turning on the captions. It will help kids make a connection between the words they are hearing and the words they're reading on the screen. It's also a great way for them to identify any new vocabulary they hear. Next time they read that word in a text, they'll be more likely to correctly identify it.

5. Talk to your kids

Speaking to your children is a great way to increase their vocabulary. Many in education point to a "word gap," or a difference in vocabulary between children when they enter school. There are many causes for this gap, but one thing researchers have found is that children who get regular conversations with adults learn more words. Don't be afraid to use "big words" when talking to children. You can always explain their meaning, and the more often kids hear new words, the more likely they are to pick up on their meaning through context.

6. Practice storytelling

A simple way to promote literacy at home is to encourage your child to tell you stories. This will help them gain a better understanding of the rhythm of narrative storytelling, which will benefit them as they grow and read more complex fiction. They can tell you real stories about their lives or make up stories and flex their imaginations.

7. Consume nonfiction to help build better readers

Many adults shy away from nonfiction for young children, believing the topics and vocabulary are too complex for little minds. But creating a strong knowledge foundation is one of the best things you can do for your child. Children who have more background knowledge have an easier time learning new concepts. Since you're spending so much time reading together at home, mix in nonfiction about history, culture, and science. For some inspiration, check out this list of picture book biographies of Black people or this list of great children's books about plants.

8. Play word games

For younger kids, these games can be informal, like naming a word that rhymes with another word. You can play these kinds of games anywhere, such as riding in the car or while taking a walk. There are also a lot of fun board games that promote literacy for kids of all ages. Some great ones are Zingo, Quiddler, Bananagrams, and Rory's Story Cubes.

9. Make reading easy for your kids

Just like any habit, the fewer barriers to reading, the better. Make sure books are readily available to your child in whatever spaces they spend the most time. Have books in their bedroom, in the living room, in the kitchen, and even in the car. It's also helpful to give you child a mixture of familiar and new books. You might purchase favorite books for your home collection while regularly checking out new books from the library. Keeping books accessible at all times will encourage your kids to read.

10. Encourage all forms of reading

Make sure you don't inadvertently dismiss certain forms of reading. Graphic novels, comics, audiobooks, and picture books are all valid forms of reading regardless of your child's age and ability. We know the best way to improve literacy skills is to read more, so families should encourage children to read whatever they like. Favorite picture books long past a child's "reading level" can provide comfort. Graphic novels can keep reluctant readers engaged. Audiobooks are an accessible way to access the same content as a physical book. Trust that your child is reading grade-level material at school and let the at-home reading be truly their choice.

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10 Ways to Promote Children's Literacy at Home

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Promoting literacy at home has a huge impact on children's learning. Here are ten easy ways to support your child's literacy at home.

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How to Create a Literate Home: Young Child and Kindergartener |…

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While learning to play with the building blocks of language as a young child or kindergartener, your child can learn a lot from adults, as well as reading and writing materials.