EARLY LITERACY TIPS FROM AWESOME EDUCATORS!

My friends that are educators have the best tips for building early literacy skills! I am so excited to share some of their amazing ideas with you all!

1. POST WORDS AROUND THE HOUSE
To encourage reading (decoding) post words around the house for your child to recognize. Then when you read books at night, try and locate one word throughout the story. This helps build sight word vocabulary.

2. MAKE STORY PREDICTIONS
Encourage your child to make predictions about what will happen next in a story. This can be done just by asking “how do you think this story will end?” or “how will the character feel at the end of the story?”

3. RETELL STORIES WITH STICKERS TO BUILD COMPREHENSION
Have your child retell stories to build reading comprehension by using stickers related to the story. Help your child use the stickers to sequence the events in the story. Use the pictures in the book to support the child in sequencing the events. To take it to a higher level after putting the stickers on, close the book and ask your child to retell the story using just the stickers.

Above tips from Holly, Special Educator, mom, and blogger at: Hart to Your Heart


4. TEACH LETTER-SOUND CORRESPONDENCE:
As your child starts to sing the ABC’s, direct their attention to the fact that letters make sounds. You can help build their ability to associate letters with their sounds by making up silly songs about the sounds letters make to the tune of a familiar nursery rhyme.

5. MAKE READING FUN:
Read with your child as often as you can and let them pick out their favorite books. Bedtime is a great time to read, but it’s also great to find other times to read throughout the day. When reading to children use an animated tone of voice and don’t be afraid to use silly voices for characters and to really enjoy the time with your child!

Above tips from Elana Goldblatt, Kindergarten Teacher and mom


6. READ ALOUD
Read with your kids from the very beginning. Babies love listening to your voice and looking at the pictures in board books. Instituting nightly stories as part of a bedtime routine is a great way to make reading a daily habit. Older kids love going to the library to pick out books to read. Ask older kids to make predictions and connections to the stories you read to encourage comprehension.

7. PRINT AWARENESS
Starting at around age 2, point out letters to your child. Notice letters in signs, books, clothes, etc. Begin to identify print as “letters” so your child starts to notice that print is written language. As your child gets older, you can start identifying the particular letters as a way to encourage letter recognition.

 8. SET A STRONG EXAMPLE
Make sure your child sees you reading. One of the most effective ways to encourage literacy is to model reading. Talk about books that you read for fun as well as reading you do to gain information (following a recipe, reading a newspaper, etc.). Prepare your child for reading success by encouraging excitement about reading!

REFERENCE: http://www.chirpychatterbox.com/early-literacy-tips-from-awesome-educators/