Idaho Commission for Libraries

On this Page:

• Selecting Books for Your Children
• Placement of Books and Writing Materials
• Family Reading
• References

Research has shown that children's literacy development occurs under the same conditions that are present when children's spoken language develops. In other words when children learn to speak they do so in an environment where they hear language being used. They are immersed in spoken language, and their first attempts at using language are accepted and encouraged, not criticized or corrected. It is also highly effective for children to be immersed in reading and writing, that is to be exposed to print and to see it being used functionally in their daily lives, in order for them to develop the skills of reading and writing.

Researchers also found that it was a literacy-rich environment that correlated with children's early reading, not the education, occupation, or socio-economic status of the parents (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott & Wilkinson, 1985).

The following information provides you, as your child's first teacher, information about creating a home environment where your child can be immersed in reading and writing everyday. We will give you ideas about how to select books, where to place books and writing materials in your home, and how to provide for family reading times.

Selecting Books for Your Children

Children learn to appreciate reading by seeing others read with enjoyment. What is being read is often not as important as the noticeable pleasure being experienced by the person who is spending time reading. A variety and abundance of reading materials in the home will give children the idea that reading is a worthwhile and useful activity.

Homes that have lots of reading and writing materials accessible to the children at all times contribute to children's learning to read "naturally" without formal instruction. Children who have been exposed to books and print from birth have been known to develop a large vocabulary of sight words as well as a number of reading skills.

From the time they are babies it is important for children to have books that belong to them. When children own books they value them as prized possessions. The recommended number of books is at least 25. Garage sales provide an inexpensive way to acquire books. Give them as gifts and ask relatives and friends to give books as gifts to your child also. You can supplement the books your child owns by weekly trips to the library. Most libraries will let you borrow a large number of picture books at one time.

Buy paperback versions of books. They cost less and therefore you will be less worried about their condition. Very expensive books tend to not get used enough. Another good idea is to share and trade books with friends.

Supplying a variety of books is also important for your child. Choose nursery rhymes, poetry, fairy tales, folk tales, predictable books, wordless storybooks, pattern books, realistic (non-fiction, informational), alphabet, and counting books. Easy-to-read books are great for young readers because they have a small amount of large print and illustrations that relate well to the text and provide clues to the reader.

Choose concept books with bright pictures for babies up to 18 months old. These should be sturdy with rounded corners. They can be made of cardboard, plastic, or cloth.

Magazines for young children are also important. When you choose to subscribe to one that meets your child's interests, you provide a "treat" in the mail for your child every month. Your child will look forward to the arrival of new reading material with great anticipation. Some suggestions are Baby Bug, Wild Animal Babies, Ranger Rick, Click, Ladybug, Zoobooks, Highlights, Spider, and Cricket.

Here are some guidelines to follow when choosing a book:

Make sure it is interesting to your child. Choosing the right books means getting to know what interests your child. You can do this by listening to what your child is saying. Children talk about what interests them when they are playing, having conversations, or asking questions. When choosing a book for your child, bring her with you, and that way you can read some of it together. Your child will let you know if the book interests her. You can also get advice from the children's librarian at your local library or from teachers of young children. They can share with you lots of ideas about what interests young children.

Don't worry about the level of difficulty. When choosing books to read aloud to your child don't worry about the level of difficulty. Children readily add words that they hear to their vocabulary. When they hear you read aloud the context and illustrations help with understanding. Also you are there to question them for comprehension and to answer their questions. Just hearing an adult read to them provides young children the opportunity to learn how stories take shape, how writers use words, and how adult reading sounds. When you read books that are non-fiction you are providing them with information about the world. Let your child be the guide. You'll be able to tell the minute she becomes bored with the subject matter.

The experiences in books should be connected in some way to children's lives. Books themselves are experiences for children. However, they need to be able to see relationships between the characters and events in the story and their own lives. When choosing books look at the characters. A good book will have well-developed characters that are believable. Make sure that the author has avoided stereotypes and has provided the child with the ability to see both the good and the bad in the characters.

Look for books that will expand your child's outlook. Some stories are about popular children's cartoon characters. These books are often unimaginative and are written for their commercial value only. Look for books that will provide your child with a rich language experience, as well as an interesting story. The theme of the story should be at the child's level of understanding. For example, a picture book should have only one theme. Books for older children can have more than one theme or a major theme with several minor themes. The theme of the story is what your child has learned after the reading.

Select books that you like yourself. If you choose a book that you like, your excitement for the story will be very evident to your child. You are the one who will be reading it over and over. Your child will sense if you are unenthusiastic. Authors of children's books will often include humor that is more easily recognized by adults. This is done to keep your interest!

"Pick a book that appeals to you, match it to your child's interests and level of development, and you're sure to have a winner" (Cullinan, 1989, p. 37).

Placement of Books and Writing Materials

Books

To create a home literacy environment put books everywhere. By doing this you allow reading to occur spontaneously. Put an accessible bookshelf in your child's room to make a library corner with very little space. The shelf can be as simple as some cinder blocks and pieces of wood placed low at the child's level. Adding a cushion or special chair can make this a private reading spot for your child.

Put books in the toy box or wherever you keep toys. Children spend a lot of time in both the kitchen and the bathroom. Put books there. The key is to put books wherever they can be visible and accessible. This increases the likelihood that the books will be picked up and used. Babies can have books in their cribs and play pens. Use waterproof books in the bathtub. When books are found only on carefully arranged shelves children tend to get the idea that they need to be kept nicely and will leave them on the shelf, rather than take a risk of damaging them. If you make the books more available it sends children the message that books are part of their everyday lives and are meant to be used. Children who grow up with books know that books are important.

Because children tend to copy adult behavior, they need to see adults in the home spending time reading and writing. Adults' books should be everywhere also. This includes reading material such as novels, magazines, newspapers, and books that are work-related.

Writing Materials

Materials for writing should also be accessible to children on a regular basis. This means you should have all kinds of writing instruments such as markers, crayons, pencils, and pens ready for children's use. There should be large supplies of all kinds of paper. In addition to blank paper, children love to write on things like personal letters, fliers, greeting cards, bills, catalogs, junk mail, and magazines. Provide a chalkboard and chalk, an old typewriter, or a magic slate. Give children old paper grocery bags flattened to write and draw on or paper stapled together to make books. Don't forget those alphabet refrigerator magnets for your child to play with.

In homes where early literacy is fostered reading and writing are "done" in the environment. Here are some suggestions:

• Read the TV Guide, looking up the listings.
• Read aloud signs on doors (like restrooms).
• Read aloud signs like "No Parking" and talk about what that means.
• Read instructions aloud on how to put something together (like a toy).
• When your child asks you a question, say, "Let's look it up," then do it.
• Write letters.
• Write shopping lists.
• Write "To Do" lists.
• Write messages to other family members.
• Write invitations.
• Write checks, giving your child voided checks to write on.
• Make greeting cards.
• Leave notes to one another -- an "I love you" note on a pillow or in a lunch box.

The America Reads Challenge: Ready*Set*Read for Families has these additional suggestions for creating a home literacy environment.

Reading and Writing Play Materials

Children learn about reading and writing in several ways. They watch adults, try out their own ideas, solve problems, and figure out for themselves how spoken and written words are connected.

Families can help by providing a special place where children can read and write and by encouraging them to include reading and writing in their play activities. Here are some examples of reading and writing materials for young children.

Create a Special Place With:

• Table (homemade or purchased, sized for young children)
• Chair (s)
• Desk and chair
• Low, open shelves
• Bulletin board

Explore Letters and Numerals With:

• Magnet boards and alphabet and number magnets
• Alphabet and numeral blocks, tiles, and puzzles
• Alphabet and numeral sponges, stamps, and stamp pads
• Alphabet and counting books

Play Make-Believe With:

• Clipboards
• Envelopes
• Junk mail, catalogs, coupons
• Magazines
• Empty food containers
• File folders and boxes
• Mailbag and mailbox

Write With and On:

• Chalkboards (wall and lap)
• Chalk (white and colored)
• Easels
• Paint
• Brushes
• Paper (lined and unlined, different sizes, colors, weights, textures)
• Markers (washable, nontoxic, thick and thin tips)
• Crayons
• Colored pencils
• Erasable boards, markers, and erasers
• Magic slates
• Ready-made blank books
• Bookbinding materials (stapler, hole punch, laces)
• Scissors (for older toddlers and preschoolers)
• Typewriter
• Computer and developmentally appropriate writing programs

Family Reading

A rich literacy experience can be provided for young children when parents schedule family reading time. This can be a time when each family member sits together, but reads his own book. Each person should take the time to talk about what he is reading. This can aid in the development of children's language and thinking skills. When parents and older children talk about what they are reading, so do young children.

Scheduled times for reading aloud are important also. Establish a daily routine of shared reading at the same time and place. Bedtime story reading is a good habit to foster. It has a quieting effect on the child before falling asleep. Both parent and child will look forward to this time of day, and the pattern will become established, so that when the child is older, she will read to herself before going to bed. When you take the time out of your busy schedule to read when your child asks to be read to, not only does it become a fun activity, but your child feels valued.

Spontaneous readings throughout the day are a good idea. Get in the habit of carrying a book with you wherever you go. That way you and your child can be prepared for those times when you end up waiting, like at the doctor's office, picking up someone at the airport or train station, or waiting for your order in a restaurant. Short reading times that happen regularly are better than long ones that take place only occasionally.

Finally, when providing a literacy environment in your home it is helpful to remember that parents of early readers have said that they did not "teach" their children to read and write. Rather, they provided them with meaningful functional literacy activities that were part of their daily lives. Reading and writing for these preschoolers were fun things to do. Provide opportunities for your child to actively explore reading and writing in your home and you'll be rewarded by having a child who is a successful reader and writer.

Activities

1. Have your child help you set up a literacy corner just for her in her room or someplace that is convenient. Choose a desk, chair, and lamp (all of which can be found at a flea market or garage sale, or select ones that are being discarded from you local school district). Be sure to locate this writing area near her bookshelf. Next, have your child make a list of items she will need for writing. Take the list with you to the store, and have your child pick out those items. Help her arrange them in her literacy center in an organized manner so she will learn to sort things and put them away. Then leave her alone to explore writing and publishing with her materials. Add to her supplies by giving writing materials, along with books, as gifts.
2. Start a family notebook. This could be a regular spiral notebook attached with string to the kitchen counter or other convenient location. Also be sure to attach a pen or pencil. Use this notebook for writing things to one another. Make sure that there are no limitations on what should be written. Encourage your young child to use invented spelling for her messages. Ask her to read them to you because you can't read "preschool" writing. Then be sure to read her the adult writing. This will encourage all types of communication in writing among family members, such as reminders to do jobs, to reserve the television for a particular program, or to apologize to someone.

(also see Ten Tips for Busy Families)

References

Emergent Literacy Project Training Manual. Information written by Carol Nelson, Ed.D., Former Project Director of the University of Idaho Emergent Literacy Project and current professor at Lewis Clark State College.

Anderson, R.C., Hiebert, E.H., Schott, J.A., & Wilkinson, I.A.G. (1985). Becoming a nation of readers: The report of the Commission of Reading. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois, Center for the Study of Reading.

Barron, M. (1995). Ready, set, read and write: 60 playful activities for you and your child to share. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Cullinan, B.E. (1989). Literature for young children. In D.S. Strickland & L.M. Morrow (Eds.), Emerging literacy: Young children learn to read and write (pp. 35-51). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Information written by Carol Nelson, Ed.D.,
Former Project Director of the University of Idaho Emergent Literacy Project. Posted in cooperation with the Emergent Literacy Project

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