How to: Increase Literacy Skills in Children with Regular Use of Story Time
Regular use of story time and book reading at home can provide many literacy benefits in the areas of emergent and early literacy. Emergent literacy skills are early concepts, skills and positive attitudes toward reading and early literacy skills are what children know about reading and writing before they actually learn to do so. It is important that children are exposed to early and emergent literacy skills at a young age, to help ensure better literacy performance later on!
Speech, Language, and Literacy Benefits:
Promotes:
Vocabulary growth and strengthens existing vocabulary
Introduces:
Literature and story elements (characters, setting, conflict, etc.) and phonological skills (rhyming, blending and segmenting sounds)
Provides:
Children with a model for proper use of pitch, inflection, and volume to emphasize the meaning of words and phrases
Encourages:
print motivation- or motivation to think books are enjoyable and easily accessible
Strengthens:
Print awareness-or understanding how books are used (reading left to right, turning pages, how to hold a book, etc.)
Tips for Successful Story Time:
Rituals:
Creating a story time ritual is very important in preparing your child to listen and engage throughout the experience.
Child Involvement:
It is important to engage the child in the story and allow them to actively participate. This could be as simple as engaging in early literacy skills (turning pages, pointing to words, etc.) or answering questions about the story the ensure comprehension.
Repetitive and Predictive Language:
This will allow the child to easily follow the story, repeat newly learned words or phrases, and emphasize rhyming words or other phonological awareness skills embedded in the story.
Use Inflection, Pitch and Volume:
Use during the story to indicate the tone, highlight the character’s feelings and maintain interest.
Read it Again:
Reading a story over and over again can help your child with comprehension, literary elements, vocabulary and phonological skills.
Child’s Choice:
Letting your child choose the book is a great way to increase print motivation and allow the child to take ownership for their literacy.