WHAT IS EARLY LITERACY?

Children prepare to read long before they enter school - early literacy is everything children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Early literacy is a baby who chews on a book, a toddler who wants his favorite book read over and over, and a preschooler who "reads" the story to you from memory.

Book Lists - suggested titles for early literacy


WHY IS EARLY LITERACY IMPORTANT?

• The development of language and literacy skills begins at birth.
• Children develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90 percent of their eventual adult weight.
• Children with books in the home have a better chance for a good start in school and greater vocabularies.

Pre-Reader Programs and Storytimes  - Library events for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.  Come and share some books with us!


GAMES CAN HELP YOUR CHILD PREPARE TO READ

You've heard many times that you are your child's first and best teacher. The most important thing you can do to foster early literacy is provide an atmosphere that's fun, verbal and stimulating. The focus should not just be on teaching, but on the fun you're having with your child - offer your child plenty of opportunities to talk and be listened to, to read and be read to, to sing and be sung to and to play, because playing is how a child learns.

Fun and Games from Fisher-Price - online games for little ones

Preschool Educational Games - from Noggin and Nick Jr.

Games for your Baby  - games for learning and fun

You are the key to your child's success in learning to read. When you read, talk or play with your child, you're stimulating the growth of your child's brain and building the connections that will become the building blocks for reading. Brain development research shows that reading aloud to your child every day increases his brain's capacity for language and literacy skills and is the most important thing you can do to prepare him for learning to read.