As expert early childhood educators, we believe that literacy is one of the most important skills that children can acquire during their early years. It lays the foundation for success in all areas of life, and it is never too early to start fostering a love of reading and communication in young children.
Fostering literacy skills starts in our circle time and extends to every part of our classrooms. Children are exposed to a print rich environment through bible verses, visual schedules and daily routines, and a wide variety of reading materials that can be explored independently or through interactive experiences with our amazing teachers.
In our classrooms children develop comprehension skills, expand their vocabulary and ability to communicate, and are able to explore and extend their knowledge of different places, concepts, and ideas.
We also know how important the school to home connection is and we promote early literacy by encouraging parents to make reading WITH their child part of their daily routine! Reading with your child vs reading to your child might look like:
Exploring the entire book before beginning to actually read. Encourage your child to name parts of the book that they might know. Young children may explore by opening and closing books or turning pages. Already you’ve given them brand new vocabulary!
Talk about the pictures with your child. Make guesses about what will happen or see if they recognize anything familiar in the book.
When you are reading, stop often to ask questions about the story or characters. Most children are EXPERTS at this step. Encourage them to speak their observations and questions, and help them expand on their thoughts.
Forget about the words! Use the pictures to make up your own story! Ask your child what they want to happen next. If it is a favorite book that you don’t think you can read even ONE more time, encourage your child to tell you the story in their own words!
Be silly with the books! Use silly voices, act it out, or have your child give input on how they want the story to go! Most of all, HAVE FUN. Engaging in reading WITH your child is the biggest indicator of a love of reading later on in life!
If you want more suggestions or tips, talk with our children’s book experts, located conveniently in your child’s classroom! You are guaranteed to find at least one new book to read with your child by talking to New Creations staff.
Promoting literacy starting at birth means we are giving children the tools they need to succeed in school and in life. We believe that by fostering a love of reading from a young age, children will be better equipped to communicate, learn, and explore the world around them.