Utah State Library Youth Services

The American Library Association will be releasing updated information about Every Child Ready to Read in the upcoming weeks and I thought it would be great to review Early Literacy skills before the new information is released.

There are six main Early Literacy skills that librarians can help parents develop to ensure a child’s success in reading: Print Motivation, Vocabulary, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness. Today, more about…

Print Awareness: Noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and knowing how to follow the words on a page.  Children who have this skill will be comfortable with books and will understand that print is useful.

• When reading a book together, point to and read any text that is in the illustration. This helps children connect that the letters actually mean something and aren’t just decorative squiggles.
• Point out and read signs, packaging and other print in the environment around you.
• Use nametags in storytimes. Children will be excited to learn to spell and write their name and will connect their name with the writing on the nametag.
• When introducing a storytime book, pretend you don’t know how to hold the book properly and let children tell you the correct way.
• Let parents know that when children are assessed before kindergarten, they are often asked to demonstrate that they are comfortable and familiar with handling books.