Early literacy skills are important for many reasons. Research has shown that children who develop early literacy skills tend to read earlier and excel in school. One third of children start Kindergarten without the skills they need to learn how to read. Reading is an essential skill for success in school and for later in life (Raising Readers, 2020). Public libraries are well-positioned to introduce children and their caregivers to early literacy skills through storytimes, programs, and other activities.
Reading, talking to, and singing to babies and young children help to build their understanding of language and develop early literacy skills. These activities can help children to build vocabulary, learn how to handle books, begin to write through drawing and scribbling, become aware of the world around them, and understand letter-sound connections (Raising readers, 2020). In Storytimes for Everyone! Developing Young Children’s Language and Literacy by Ghoting and Martin-Diaz (2013), the authors discuss five practices to introduce early literacy skills, including singing, talking, reading, writing, and playing. Librarians can incorporate these skills into storytime and other programs. They can also demonstrate to parents and caregivers the connection these activities have in successfully learning how to read (Ghoting, 2013).
In my Early Childhood Literacy Program, I have designed and included programs that will incorporate principles of early literacy skills that we have studied in this course. These programs are for children ages birth through eight and their parents or caregivers. Since play is one of the most important of the five practices of early literacy, I have incorporated play time into most programs. My goal is to present programs that are fun, as well as educational, for the children and their families/caregivers.
References:
Fairfax County Public Library. (2018, December 10). What is early literacy?. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOshvTLTuPw
Ghoting, S.N., & Martin-Diaz, P. (2013). Storytimes for everyone! Developing Young children’s language and literacy. ALA Editions.
Raising Readers. (2020). What is early literacy. Retrieved from https://www.raisingreaders.org/understanding-early-literacy/establishing-early-literacy/
Deb's Early Childhood Literacy Program 