Alphabet books are one way to help children become aware of letters, how they look, and what sounds they make. It is best not to quiz your young child on the letters, but rather to mention them in the context of something that they enjoy, like a book.
–Tip by Erin E., Youth Programming Coordinator
In the book Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Baby? by Barney Saltzberg, Cornelius’s mother keeps telling him that his baby sibling is still too young to do things with him by saying, “No, not yet!” over and over again. As you read with children, having them say a repeated phrase with you throughout the book helps to keep them involved in the story. This is one way that you can support print motivation.
–Tip by Julie D., Elementary School Liaison
Practice the narrative skill with your child by reading the book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert and creating your own leaf man. Once you have created him, talk about what adventures he might have and write them down so you can retell them again later.
–Tip by Barb M., Youth Programming and Outreach Assistant
Ninety-five percent of children’s attention goes to the pictures in the book, rather than the text. You can help children notice the print by pointing to a few words as you read. Before you read Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri, ask your child to pick a color from the back cover of the book. Then as you read the story, trace the word for that color with your finger. See SimonSaysKids for fun coloring sheets that go along with the book.
–Tip by Mary S., Youth Services Department Head
As children learn to read, they use many of the skills we practice in storytime. One of these skills is phonological awareness, which is the ability to play with parts of words. An easy and enjoyable way for children to practice this skill is by listening to and singing songs. So sing with your children, even if you don’t have perfect pitch! In songs, each syllable has a different note, so children are hearing words being broken down into parts. These are some of the artists you may hear in storytime: Wiggleworms, Jim Gill, Miss Carole, Laurie Berkner, Raffi, and more!
–Tip by Claire B., Youth Outreach Coordinator
When reading a book to your child, make it a point to talk about the pictures. Explaining the meaning of words helps increase your child’s vocabulary, an important skill your child needs long before he or she begins to learn to read. Books with photographs of real items, like Little Pink Book by Renee Khatami, are great for reinforcing the names of objects that your baby or toddler is learning about.
–Tip by Jan P., Preschool/Childcare Liaison
My Beak,Your Beak by Melanie Walsh explores sameness and differences—concepts that will help your child get ready to read. Knowing that letters look similar but are different from each other is part of the early literacy skill of letter knowledge. Gaining knowledge about letters is important long before your child actually learns the letters of the alphabet. Letter knowledge also includes knowing that letters relate to sounds. Focus on the first letter in your child’s name—talk about its shape, how it looks in upper and lower case, and what sound(s) it makes. And remember to have fun!
–Tip by Brad J., Youth Technology Librarian
Some books incorporate the text into the pictures, which is a good way to help children become aware of the words on the page. This helps build the early literacy skill of print awareness. In the book, Poof! by John O’Brien, sometimes characters have speech bubbles showing what sound they are making. Also, the word, “Poof!” is shown in a cloud on many of the pages throughout the story. So when you see this word, you can wave your pretend magic wand in the air and say, “Poof!” And then turn the page and see what happens!
–Tip by Erin E., Youth Programming Coordinator
Talk about your day with your child. Discuss what you did first, next, and last, leading up to bedtime. Stories, like daily life, have a sequence of events. This discussion helps to foster narrative skills as well as comprehension and sequencing skills.
–Tip by Carol C., Youth Programming Assistant
Phonological awareness means learning about sounds in words. Hearing and learning animal sounds helps children hear different kinds of sounds. Show your child pictures of different animals in books and demonstrate what sound they make. Can You Growl Like a Bear? by John Butler and Who Hoots? by Katie Davis are two great titles that will inspire you and your little one to play with animal noises. Or take a trip to a local farm or zoo to have them hear the animal sounds in person!
–Tip by Julie D., Elementary School Liaison
