Early literacy is everything a child knows about reading and writing before he or she can write. Children get ready to read long before they start kindergarten. You can help by singing, rhyming, playing, and reading aloud every day with your children. Every Child Ready to Read teaches parents and caregivers about the six basic skills that comprise early literacy and help determine whether a child will be ready to learn to read and write: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Letter Knowledge, Vocabulary, Phonological Awareness, and Narrative Skills.
Websites for Parents & Caregivers
- Six Early Literacy Skills – Six simple ways to understand the value of literacy for pre-readers
- Reading Tips for Parents – Techniques to encourage a lifelong love of reading in children (Reading Tips En Español)
- Get Ready to Read – Skill-building activities to prepare children for school
- Colorado Early Learning & Development Guidelines – Information about child development, by age group. (Early Learning Guidelines En Español)
- National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families – Tips and tools for early literacy
- StoryBlocks – 30-60 second videos with stimulating songs, rhymes, and fingerplays (StoryBlocks En Español)
- Songs for Teaching – Fingerplays and action rhymes with music and how-to act them out
Read! Booklists & Reading Activities
- Unite for Literacy eBooks (narrated in 26 languages)
- CLEL Bell Book Awards
- Goodreads “Best Read Alouds for Young Children”
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Kids & Teens Booklists
- Board Books available through AspenCat libraries