You’ll never forget those precious evenings snuggled up with your babies, reading their favorite books. All the time you spend reading to your little ones is more than just precious memories made and quality time spent – it’s the starting point for strong literacy skills.
Why Do Preschoolers Need Literacy Skills?
In preschool, children are introduced to literacy in a fun, engaging, age-appropriate way. This early exposure helps to set the stage for reading readiness and a love for learning.
Literacy is one of the most crucial skills that children begin to develop in their preschool years and even as infants. While reading and writing may seem like concepts for elementary schoolers, the foundation for strong literacy skills is laid well before kindergarten.
What is Literacy?
Even though literacy is typically regarded as reading and writing, it’s so much more – it’s the way you read, write, speak, listen, and communicate with the world around you. That’s why babies and toddlers begin building these skills far before they can read and write. One of the key benefits of early literacy is its impact on language development, which is why we work hard in our preschool prep and other classes to include these critical skills in our curriculum.
How Does Preschool Help with Literacy Skills?
At The Breakie Bunch Learning Center, we are proud to place a huge emphasis on literacy, and we build our curriculum and learning objectives to include these skills. Through story time, songs, and other engaging activities, preschool kids are constantly exposed to new vocabulary and sentence structure.
These experiences help little ones expand their language skills, eventually making it easier to express themselves and understand the people around them. Exposure to a lot of language and literacy activities teaches more than just the ABCs. Our literacy lessons are designed to help children recognize:
- Shapes
- Colors
- Numbers
- Letters
- Their name
How to do Literacy Lessons with Preschoolers at Home
It’s easier than you think to conduct literacy lessons at home, and you may already be doing it. First and foremost, keep reading those books! That’s the easiest way to encourage literacy and a love for reading. It also helps you connect in a special way and teaches kids valuable lessons, like sharing, kindness, and even working through tough subjects.
Another cool way to work on literacy at home or on the go is listening to kids’ podcasts. Podcasts are a great screen-free entertainment option and are made for children of all ages. They’re perfect for car rides with the family, but they’re also wonderful when you need a bit of a break during the day and would like your children to play independently for a few minutes.
A third thing that helps with literacy at home, particularly in infants and young toddlers, is narrating your tasks and activities. Talk to your kids, even if they can’t yet respond. It might feel silly at first, but exposing them to language and helping them connect words to actions is so beneficial.
Building a Love for Literacy
By creating an environment rich in language, stories, and creative expression while your children are in preschool, you’re helping to set the foundation for academic success, critical thinking skills, and social-emotional growth. Cuddle up with your babies, grab everyone’s favorite fairytales, and have a cozy time reading together.