Health: Birth to 5

The phrase “early literacy development” sounds technical, but it’s simply teaching your child about sounds, words, gestures and communication. And it is essential to a child’s success in school and in life.

At 20 days old, your baby recognizes your voice and responds by opening his eyes and moving his body. By age 1, your baby may understand a few words. Between 12-18 months, he begins to say a few words. By 2, your toddler may speak a 2-word sentence (“Me – up!”). If he hears a lot of language, your child’s “word bank” will double every 6 months, between 2 and 4 years old.

The more words children know at an early age, the more likely they will become skilled readers and successful learners. You can help build your child’s vocabulary, and it’s never too early to start.

Talk, talk, talk!

The simplest way to build your child’s language is to talk with him. Encourage him to talk and expand his ideas (Your baby may say “Baabaa.” You reply: “You want your bottle? You must be thirsty!”). As your children grow, talk with them about their activities and interests, and share yours with them.

Read early, read aloud

Reading to your baby or young child every day will build his pre-reading skills. Remember to include nonfiction books, which will enrich your child’s vocabulary with words he will not get from fiction.

And...watch TV?

Media, such as TV, can also build literacy skills. This season, “Sesame Street” has made vocabulary its primary focus. The programs are designed for children 3 years and older (not babies – they learn best when they can touch what they are seeing). Watch with your child, ask questions, and interact with them just as if you were reading a book together. You can find “Sesame Street’s Word on the Street” on local KOCE and KCET channels.

Great stories to read to your child:

[Infants]:
> “Pat the Bunny,” by Dorothy Kunhardt
> “Goodnight Moon,” by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
> “Peek-A-Boo Bunny,” by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
> “Baby Faces Board Book: Smile!” by Roberta Grobel Intrater

[Toddlers]:
> “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
> “Good Night, Gorilla,” by Peggy Rathmann
> “It Looked Like Spilt Milk,” by Charles G. Shaw
> “Barnyard Banter,” by Denise Fleming

[Preschoolers]:
> “The Snowy Day,” by Ezra Jack Keats
> “Where the Wild Things Are,” by Maurice Sendak
> “The Napping House,” by Audrey Wood and Don Wood
> “Go Away, Big Green Monster!” by Edward R. Emberley

[Early Readers]:
> “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and Lois Ehlert
> “Leo the Late Bloomer,” by Robert Kraus and Jose Aruego
> “Bunny Cakes,” by Rosemary Wells
> “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,” by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury


For details on learning through media, visit pbskids.org/sesame/caregivers/learn_screen.htmltips.

This article was supplied by the Children and Families Commission of Orange County.

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Resources:
For more ideas on how to develop your child’s early literacy, visit earlyliteracyprogramoc.org

The Children and Families Commission of Orange County’s Early Literacy Program accepts donations of gently used books, which are sorted by age, rehabilitated and redistributed back into the community– so that all children in Orange County can have books in their home. For more information, call the Early Literacy Volunteer Coordinator at 714.647.0900, ext. 108.