Raising Readers Infant /Toddler Literacy Activities Tori Hernandez

Did you know? Babies remember stories and songs they hear in the womb by 7 months of pregnancy (Beaty & Pratt, 2007, p. 44). “Children of talkative mothers perform better than do children of quiet mother” (Cullinan, 2006, p. 49) “Ages 2 years - 5 years a child’s vocabulary expands from about 200 to 2000 words or more” (Beaty & Pratt, 2007, p. 44) “Brain research supports the idea that language takes place mostly during toddlerhood and the preschool years when a window of opportunity for language development is occurring in the brain” (Beaty & Pratt, 2007, p. 45) “Becoming a better reader helps a child to do better in all subjects” (Cullinan, 2006, p. 49) “By age 6 children are using a vocabulary of about 10,000 words and speaking in elaborate sentences” (Berk, 2008, p. 236) You are your child’s first and most important teacher !

“When you love your baby, make her feel safe, and play with her, she feels special and nurtured. She will develop a sense of self confidence. This will help her learn to read and write when she is bigger (Parlakian, Lerner, & Im, 2008, p. 1)

Infants “Like action nursery rhymes Imitate actions of children in books Makes sounds of animals in books Like to see babies in books Enjoy the 3 R’s Rhythm, repetition and rhyme Falls asleep to nursery songs and lullabies. (Cullinan, 2006, p. 51)”

Music /Fingerplays

Toddlers “Like to read the same book over and over Choose a particular book among many Like short rhyming stories Repeat Mother Goose verses by heart Like large, clear, realistic pictures Like bathtub books and toy books Like to name objects in books and magazines” (Cullinan, 2006, p. 53)

Preschoolers “Use words to express themselves Play with language, sing - song, nonsense sounds Know nursery rhymes Like to dramatize, memorize and retell story Like simple story characteristics Struggle for Independence: “Wanna do it myself” Explore human emotions and relationships in story” (Cullinan, 2006, p. 54) Need to see that reading and writing are useful.

Play Play is essential to enhance language, cognitive and social skills.

Reading Everywhere “ Read at least 20 minutes everyday. Keep books in your child’s room. Read the road signs. (Environmental Print) Read recipes. Write the grocery list together. Carry books with you Put books in the bathtub. Get recordings of books. (CD or tape) Make your own recordings.

Tips to Raising Readers “Read a bedtime story. Talk aloud what you are thinking. Read, recite, sing nursery rhymes, Read the same books over and over. Give your child nontoxic markers, pens or pencils and plenty of paper. Write messages to your child. Write down your child’s spoken words. Label objects in the house. Get alphabet books and make alphabet books. Talk about the world around them ((go to libraries, zoos, parks, museums, grocery store, etc.) Exerted from Read to Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read by Bernice Cullen Point out letter sound correspondence, play rhyming games. Model literacy activities.”

Resources Zero to Three- www. zerotothree.org www. zerotothree.org National Association for the Education of Young Children- www. naeyc.org/ www. naeyc.org/ Early Childhood Intervention- ecis /index.shtml ecis /index.shtml Parents as Teachers Texas- Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters- Baby Center- www. babycenter.com/ www. babycenter.com/ Fun Baby Games- www. fun - baby - games - online.com / www. fun - baby - games - online.com /

References Beaty, J. J., & Pratt, L. (2007). Early Literacy in Preschool and Kindergarten. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. Berk, L. E. (2008). infants, Children, and Adolescents. Boston: Pearson Education. Cullinan, B. E. (2006). Read To Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read. New York: Scholastic Inc. Parlakian, R., Lerner, C., & Im, J. (2008). Getting Ready to Read: Helping Your Child Become a Confident Reader and Writer Starting from Birth. Washington: Zero To Three.