Literacy

Kindergarten Literacy

By the National Center for Family Literacy

Preschoolers and kindergartners like to have fun with language. They like silly rhymes and verses, singing a song, dancing, and sharing a story through finger play. These are ways they develop language and literacy skills.

Children at this age are learning more about letters, print and books. They know many letters of the alphabet. They begin to match letters to their sounds, which is important for learning to read.

Many preschool children will pretend to read books, telling the story as they turn the pages, look at the pictures and identify some print on the page. They learn that print in books moves from left to right. Kindergarten children are getting better at matching letters to sounds and know many words from sight.

 

How Can You Help Your Child Become a Better Reader?  Check out these 10 user friends tips:

1. Read aloud to your child every day

• Read to babies even before they can talk
• Let your child see and touch the book
• Play with voices and the sounds of words

2. Create a print-rich environment

• Have a wide variety of books available to children
• Encourage children to look at books on their own
• Set aside a family reading area and a family reading time

3. Model reading and writing

• Make use of the family reading area on your own
• Let children see you reading for work or to learn something
• Let children see you reading for pleasure

4. Use grocery shopping to encourage reading

• Have children help you search for specific brands
• Use the aisle markers with your child to find items
• Match coupons to products

5. Cook with your child to encourage literacy development

• Show your child how to read a recipe
• Read the labels on ingredients together
• Make a family cookbook of favorite recipes

6. Explore books together

• As you read, point out important features about the book
• Ask your child questions 
• Point out new vocabulary

7.  Tell stories together

• Talk together about your family history
• Look at old vacation photos and discuss your memories of the trip
• Tape your storytelling

8. Sing and rhyme with your child

• Choose songs with rhymes and word play
• Play rhyming games with your child- what other words sound like monkey?
• Challenge your child to sing or say rhymes as fast as he can, and don't forget to laugh if the results come out silly :-)

9. Write with your child

• Provide lots of writing materials- chalk, markers, crayons, and pencils 
• Encourage your child to draw and write on her own
• Encourage your child to write thank you notes to grandparents, make to do lists and the like

10. Visit the library often with your child

• Make weekly trips
• Encourage your child to get her own library card. 
• Take advantage of library programs such as read alouds and family book clubs

 

 

Talking About Books With Your Child (doc file - 69 KB)

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