5 Practices of Early Literacy
Unlock your child's potential for learning & reading. From birth, your baby can start to learn about reading, like how to sound out words and what direction to hold a book.
- Ages 0-1: Choose a time when your baby is relaxed and happy. Read for as long as your baby is interested. Just a page or two is fine!
- Ages 1-2: Show your baby a board book. (A board book is made of thick cardboard pages.) Let them explore on their own, even if that means books get chewed on or thrown.
- Ages 2-3: Read the same books over and over again. Pause before a predictable word and ask your toddler to guess the next word. Or ask what happens next in their favorite story.
- Ages 3-5: When reading, hold a book upside down until your preschooler notices. Show them how to hold a book. Talk about the book’s parts, like the cover, pages, title, and author.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Unlock your child's potential with this reading challenge. For ages 0-5.
Suggested Websites
Literacy Tips for Parents
Discover new things to do...every day!
Get daily ideas for what to read, watch, sing, and try with your child from the Day By Day Ohio Family Literacy Calendar.
Read & listen to a picture book...with sign language!
Watch free videos of ASL retellings of books for kids. Reading and signing stories together promotes essential literacy skills for all kids.
Narrate it!
Why? Describing what you're doing during the day helps build your little one’s vocabulary.
Imagine it...with a block, cup, or spoon!
Why? Simple toys like these encourage talking during play. This is a great way to practice pronunciation and build vocabulary.
