As parents we are our children's first teachers. Children need exposure to literature and print in order to help them develop their own literacy. Research consistently has shown that parents can have an tremendous influence on a child’s literacy development, reading abilities and attitudes around literacy beginning at a very early age. As the poet and children’s author Emilie Buchwald has said, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
Research shows that parental involvement in their children’s
learning positively affects the child’s performance at school (Fan & Chen, 2001) in both primary and secondary schools (Feinstein & Symons, 1999), leading to higher academic achievement, greater cognitive competence, greater problem-solving skills, greater school enjoyment, better school attendance and fewer behavioral problems at school (Melhuish, Sylva, Sammons et al., 2001).There are also numerous studies that have shown that children who grow up in a stimulating home environment – one which has a great emphasis on learning opportunities – do better academically, regardless of socio-economic background (e.g. van Steensel, 2006).
Parent involvement has been defined
and measured in multiple ways, including activities that parents engage in at home and at school and positive attitudes parents have towards their child's education, school, and teacher (Epstein, 1996; Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994; Kohl, Lengua, & McMahon, 2000).
Parental involvement in their child’s reading has been found to be the most important determinant of language and emergent literacy (Bus, van Ijzendoorn & Pellegrini, 1995). Furthermore, parents who introduce their babies to books give them a head start in school and an advantage over their peers throughout primary school (Wade & Moore, 2000).Although parental involvement has the greatest effect in the early years, its importance to children’s educational and literacy outcomes continues into the teenage and even adult years (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003). For example, Feinstein and Symons (1999) found that parental interest in their child’s education was the single greatest predictor of achievement at age 16.
WAYS TO SUPPORT AN EMERGING EARLY READER
READ EVERY DAY…...ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER - Find a time to read with your child every day. Lead by example. Our children are always watching. If you convey an interest in reading, chances are your child will too. The most important thing is that you encourage them to read a few minutes every day because they will develop extensive vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension skills over time.
CREATE YOUR OWN HOME LIBRARY - Children need access to books outside of school. Create a library at home for your child. Fill this home library with their favorite books and magazines. Give them access to books that contain characters that reflect their own identity and experiences.
CREATE A PRINT RICH ENVIRONMENT - Label objects around the house. Personalize your child’s belongings to help them begin to recognize letters and words and even their own name.
MONTHLY THEMES - decorate for new themes, immerse your home and child in print. Reading is a celebration of stories and themes and imagination! Add a sensonry component. It helps to captivate a s child's attention. With the visual, tactile, auditory and kinesthetic inputs, a child gets to work various skills at a time. With enhanced attention, a child using a sensory book is more liable to sit for longer durations.
"CONVERSATION TIME" - Talk to your kids.....about anything. Engaging in conversation gives them an outlet to discuss the day's events which builds vocabulary and understanding.
FIND A DESIGNATED BOOK NOOK FOR READING - Create a comfortable space in your home where you can read together, enjoy books and chat about them. Transform your kids closet into a cozy reading nook. Make it a social event and include food and drinks!
MAKE READING FUN - NOT ARDUOUS - Make reading fun. Even silly. Books don't have to be “serious” or “classic” books. Silly books, comics books are a good way to get many children interested in reading. Build literacy by acting out or singing the words of stories or find other ways to enjoy books ( whole language approach) .Display books where children can reach them, and rotate books regularly to engage children's imaginations. Point to words and pictures as you read to children. This helps them begin to understand that words have meaning.
VISIT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY - Plan trips to the library. Getting your child a library card can get them excited about books. Don’t worry about reading every book — library trips should be fun. At first, these visits may simply consist of spending time wandering the rows of books and meeting librarians.
ENCOURAGE WRITING - Model writing stories, make lists, label objects around their room or the house. Then encourage your young reader to write a letter to a character in a story, create their own storybook, or write a wish list or a shopping list. Such a variety of writing experiences will also build their generative knowledge of writing.
BUILDING LITERACY WITH
COLLABORATE WITH TEACHERS - Work with your child’s teachers to understand their approach to literacy and ask how you can help at home. Find ways to extend school literacy lessons when you’re home or out with your child.
PARENT RESOURCES
HELP TO KEEP YOUR EMERGENT READER ON TRACK
Parents can check on key early milestones for their child focused on how they play, speak, learn, move, and act. If your child is not meeting milestones,
parents should contact their doctor or nurse to discuss their concerns.
Parents can assess whether their child is progressing with grade level reading skills beginning in kindergarten by using Learning Heroes Readiness Check.
READING CORNER
AUTHOR ERIC CARLE:
AUTHOR SANDRA BOYNTON:
AUTHOR LEO LEONNI:
AUTHOR ERIC HILL:
Adding a sensory component is a great way to encourage interaction through the touch and feel panels, which helps make reading fun and instills a lifelong love of books. They help children to build vocabulary while learning to associate the textures they feel with the word it describes. Sensory books are a great way to enrich language!
My Big Touch and Feel Concepts Book by Xavier Deneux
Touch!My Big Touch and Feel Word Book
by Xavier Deneux
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