Childhood and Reading

In LIS 5564, Information Needs of Children, our professor assigned a final project to focus on teaching parents about the importance of reading in the lives of children. What follows is the script I created, and here is a link to the slide presentation. I chose to focus on very young children.

The Journey to Reading

Slide 1: Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Emily Bufford, and I work for the New Orleans Public Library as a Children’s Librarian. I want to let you know that developing a love for reading happens well before a child can read. In fact, there are several early literacy milestones children reach before they can read. Something as simple as responding to words, such as gesturing or cooing when spoken to, suggests a baby is learning about words (Zettler-Greeley, 2018). For the earliest learners, everyday interactions that include words are the beginning of learning to read; learning to read is not about any special program or book series or video course. In your own home through everyday life, you can help your child become a lover of words.

Slide 2: What We Will Learn

Let us first focus on what to do in your home to support literacy, then later we will discuss what signs to look for to be sure your baby or toddler is gaining early literacy. Finally, we will close with where to find help. 

Slide 3: Books

The most obvious action to take is reading to your child from picture books. Janet Towell (2021) observed children in South Florida while they were being read to in a daycare environment. She and her colleagues made the following discoveries. When reading, do not rush. Instead, slow down and let the child explore each page of pictures and text; asking questions or making comments about the text or the pictures enhances their learning experience (Towell et al., 2021). If possible, read to your child in your lap because it “strengthens the bond between parent and child” (Towell et al., 2021, p. 334). Choose books with themes that are familiar to your child. Such as books dealing with everyday life, books about their own ethnicity, and books based on their interests (dinosaurs, ballerinas, trucks, science, etc.) (Towell et al., 2021). Reading to your child from familiar books with attentive expression while they sit in your lap is an excellent start to learning to read.

Slide 4: Talk and Play

Another great activity to do with babies and young children is talking to them. The United States Department of Education (2005) has a wonderful webpage with many suggestions about helping your child become a reader from infancy to age 6. One of the methods for the youngest babies is through talk and play. Ask them “Where is your mouth?” then gently touch their lips and say, “There it is!” Repeat this several times, then move on to another part of the body (nose, eyes, ears, knees, etc.) (US Department of Education, 2005). Another way to talk and play with toddlers is by involving them in everyday activities. As you dress the child, tell them what color their outfit is, what size their shoes are, and which hand is left or right. Continue this through all activities; name ingredients as you cook, point out tools as you clean, and ask open ended questions about their surroundings while you take a walk outside (US Department of Education, 2005). Verbalizing the actions and nouns of everyday occurrences to your child can help them learn that the sounds we make have meaning.

Slide 5: The ABCs

Learning that words are made of letters is a next step for children and teaching them their letters is simple. To start, the US Department of Education (2005) again has easy, at home suggestions: sing the alphabet song to them encouraging them to join in, write their name in large print for them pointing out each letter, and participate with them when watching ABC sing along videos (US Department of Education, 2005). Researchers Robins, Treiman, and Rosales (2013) also explain that parents need to concentrate on phonics. Phonics is the idea that letters or letter combinations make certain sounds. When you point to a letter on a billboard or package be sure to explain, “This box says strawberries. Strawberry starts with an S. This is an S. An S sounds like ssssss.” This will teach your child not just the shape and symbol of S, but that S is also associated with a certain sound (Robins et al., 2013). By singing with your child the alphabet song and pointing out letters with their sounds, your child will gain important knowledge that letters make up words and have specific sounds. 

Slide 6: Mistakes

            Often, young children will mistake one letter for another or mispronounce words. Zero to Three (n.d.), a website for teaching parents about how to care for infants to three-year-olds, strongly suggests not correcting a child harshly. Rather, use the mistake as a teaching moment. If your child mispronounces “alligator” as “alligigung” do not tell them “No” or “You’re wrong.” Instead, pronounce “alligator” slowly for them and use it in a sentence such as “The alligator likes to eat fish” (Zero to Three, n.d.). Zero to Three (n.d.) further suggests translating for your toddler. Encourage them to speak to other children and adults, but if the other person cannot understand their words, simply tell the other person “Xavier is saying ‘I like dump trucks’.” Learning to speak with confidence is key to their language growth and eventual literacy (Zero to Three, n.d.). 

Slide 7: Review

            Now you know four ways to help your baby or child at home develop early literacy skills through everyday activities. Let’s review them:

1.     Read to them in your lap as often as possible, asking questions about the pictures and text to stimulate their interest.

2.     Talk them through daily activities to build vocabulary and word to object/action knowledge.

3.     Help them learn their ABCs through singing and pointing out the shapes and sounds of individual letters.

4.     Do not harshly correct mistakes; instead lead by example and translate for them.

Slide 8: Milestones

            Now that we know some of the ways we can help our children develop early literacy skills, let’s discuss how we know what we’re doing is working. Kids Health (2018), a website dedicated to children of all ages to gain their optimum health, has very clear milestones for children learning to read. From infancy through age 1, babies should be able to respond with coos or gestures when spoken to, help turn book pages, and respond to books with vocalizations or physical gestures (Zettler-Greeley, 2018). From ages 1 to 3, toddlers should be able to answer simple questions about pictures in books, turn board books pages, and identify favorite books. By 4, older toddlers should be able to identify 15-18 uppercase letters, know the letters of their name, and retell a story from a familiar book (Zettler-Greeley, 2018). Now you know what to look for to be sure your child is moving along well, and if you have any concerns about their development you can speak with your pediatrician.

Slide 9: Who can help?

            Most of these suggestions are simple and easy to provide at home. However, one key component to all this is reading to your child frequently from picture books. Where do we get the books? There’s the obvious Amazon or Barnes and Noble, however I encourage you to visit your local New Orleans Public Library. The knowledgeable children’s librarian at each branch can help you choose which books are appropriate for your child’s age and comprehension. Also, there are no late fees for books from the children’s collection (Williams, 2019)! You can check out up to 30 books to supply your child with plenty of reading and not worry about returning them late (New Orleans Public Library, n.d.). If the books are returned within 90 days and undamaged, there will be no fees of any kind (New Orleans Public Library, n.d.). This means you can keep a rotating library of books for you to read to your child for free, and perhaps purchase only a few of their favorites. New Orleans Public Library has a Children’s Resource Center at the corner of Magazine and Napoleon, which could be a good place to go if you have questions about your child’s reading abilities.

Slide 10: Conclusion

            Now you know what to do, what to look for, and where to find books. Today, I can help you sign up for a library card if you have the correct residency information; you can even check out some of the books I have available. I also have a handout for you. Are there any questions about how to help your child become a reader or joining the library?

 

References

New Orleans Public Library. (n.d.). New to the library? Need a card?. NOLAlibrary.org. https://nolalibrary.org/new-to-the-library-need-a-card/

Robins, S., Treiman, R., & Rosales, N. (2013). Letter knowledge in parent-child conversations. Reading & Writing, 27(3), 407-429. www.doi.org/10.1007/s11145-013-9450-7

Towell, J., Bartram, L., Morrow, S., & Brown, S. L. (2021). Reading to babies: Exploring the beginnings of literacy. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 21(3), 321-337. www.doi.org/10.1177/1468798419846199

US Department of Education. (2005). Becoming a reader. www2.ed.gov. https://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/reader.pdf

Williams, J. (2019, September 3). For young library-goers, New Orleans Public Library will no longer charge late fees. NOLA.com. https://www.nola.com/news/article_d502f74c-cb64-11e9-b50c-93ef40a1ec88.html

Zero to Three. (n.d.). Supporting language and literacy skills from 12-24 months. ZerotoThree.org. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1285-supporting-language-and-literacy-skills-from-12-24-months

Zetller-Greeley, C. M. (2018). Reading milestones. KidsHealth.org. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/milestones.html