Skip to main content

Library Services

Early Literacy Tips for Families

Early Literacy Tips for Families

Did You Know?
Children who develop a love for books before they start school have a head start in becoming successful readers. Reading aloud to children is not only a warm, sharing experience, but it also helps develop their listening skills and vocabulary and prepares them for reading on their own.

Sources:
Hutton, John S., et al. “Home Reading Environment and Brain Activation in Preschool Children Listening to Stories.” Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1 Sept. 2015, pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/3/466.

Gurdon, Meghan Cox. The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction. New York, Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2019.

How to Read with a Beginning Reader

  • Read to your child and listen to your child read! 
  • Re-read the same books. This helps your child build fluency. 
  • Have your child follow along with the words using his/her pointer finger. 
  • Talk about the words! Make comments and ask questions. 
  • Echo read with your child. You read one sentence and your child echoes back the sentence. This helps build fluency and reading with expression.

Make Literacy a Part of your Family Time

  • Talk, sing, and read with your child! Children’s brain cells are literally activated when they do these things with their families (Hutton, 2015).
  • Play a board game.
  • Balance books and screen time. Reading picture books to them has a double effect: It removes the negative of extra screen time while adding a terrific positive in the form of skill and brain building effects. (Gurdon, 2019).
  • Write the grocery list together.
  • Read the ingredients and directions on a recipe and make something yummy to eat together.
  • Label common areas in your home and practice reading.
  • Visit your school and public libraries.

More Great Tips

  • Provide lots of reading and writing materials in your home: books, audio-books, magazines, newspapers, writing paper, pencils and crayons. 
  • Read widely with your child from lots of different kinds of books-fiction, non-fiction, folk and fairy tales, comic books, cookbooks and more. 
  • Make eye contact with your child when talking about the story. 
  • Be a role model for your child. Read for pleasure or knowledge on a daily basis. 
  • Attendance matters: Make sure your child is on time and ready to learn each day at school. 
  • Be involved: Participate in and support school-wide literacy events with your family.

Reading Resources

The following resources provide book recommendations for all ages and helpful advice for growing lifelong readers. Contact your school librarian for more tips, resources, and personalized book suggestions.

Note: The inclusion of these sites is for informational purposes only and does not indicate endorsement by HCPS.

  • The following resources provide book recommendations for all ages and helpful advice for growing lifelong readers. Contact your school librarian for more tips, resources, and personalized book suggestions.

     

  • HCPL promotes reading and lifelong learning, connects people with the information they need and enriches community life.

  • Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of learners and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.

  • GFRP works across boundaries—with early childhood and afterschool organizations, schools, digital media, libraries, museums, and others working on behalf of children and families—to ensure that families are empowered in children’s learning, from early childhood to young adulthood.

     

  • WNDB’s aim is to help produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

  • Colorín Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs)

  • Reading Rockets is a national public media literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.

  • Imagination Soup is a place where parents, librarians, and teachers can find great books as well as educational learning ideas, resources, and community.