5 Practices of Early Literacy
Narrate events and ideas in your everyday life. This helps your child learn new vocabulary and to use words they know.
- Ages 0-1: Talk to your baby all the time, even if they can’t respond quite yet. Narrate your day. The more words your baby hears, the larger their vocabulary will grow.
- Ages 1-2:Â Encourage repetitive play. Your baby may want to spend 30 minutes moving blocks from one bin to another. They are learning about concepts like gravity and motion - encourage them to repeat these simple tasks over and over.
- Ages 2-3: Introduce new vocabulary while you play. Narrate what you are doing. Use the big words and the small words—as many words as you can.
- Ages 3-5:Â Encourage your preschooler to tell you a story. Try retelling a familiar book, what you did today, or make up a story together. This helps to build a skill called sequencing.
Ezra Jack Keats Book Award
Celebrates picture books with well-told stories that reflect the universal qualities of childhood and the multicultural nature of our world.
Play Area
Inspire little ones to put thoughts into words, tell stories, share, and problem-solve with this ever-changing interactive play area.
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Animal Visit | Picture Perfect Ranch (Outside)
Aug 3rd | 10:00am - 12:00pm
See, touch and learn about a variety of farm animals for a live barnyard experience hosted by Picture Perfect Ranch. Animal visitors may…
Reading Challenge
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Unlock your child's potential with this reading challenge. For ages 0-5.
Suggested Websites
Share your childhood joy.
Tell stories about some of the favorite things you used to do as a child.
Concerned about your child’s speech development?
Get free advice from experts with Columbus Speech and Hearing.
Start a conversation at dinner time.
Dinner time is a great place to start a conversation with your kids. The Family Dinner Project has some fun suggestions.
Pick up a wordless picture book.
Encourage your child to become the storyteller with wordless picture books.
Annamarie C
Annamarie loves all things Disney! When she's not planning her next storytime, she's likely traveling or volunteering at the Columbus Zoo.
Katie R.
Katie knows all of the tricks to start your baby on the path to lifelong reading.
Raychelle S.
When she’s not recommending a great fantasy read or planning an author event, she’s likely floating in a kayak or trying a new recipe...
Grace G.
When Grace isn't helping students tackle their homework assignments, she's likely devouring a delicious pastry or spending time outdoors.