During the emergent literacy stage our earliest developing readers and writers, typically aged birth to two years, are just beginning to understand and manipulate the sounds and structures of language. Even though children in this stage are not yet explicitly aware of phonemes and phonological concepts, there are strategies that promote language development that also support their early phonological and phonemic awareness. Understanding these strategies can also be helpful for addressing any precursory skills children might be lacking as they grow.
- Talk to Your Child: Engage in conversations with children, no matter how young, using varied vocabulary and sentence structures. Describe what you are doing, what they are seeing, and what is happening around them. This may be one of the most easily implemented strategies, however it is also easily overlooked during the hustle and bustle of daily life and its many demands on our time and attention.
- Read Aloud: Research indicates that reading aloud to children of all ages regularly is one of the single most predictive measures of their literacy outcomes. Choose age-appropriate books with colorful pictures and engaging stories. Point to and describe the pictures and encourage your child to imitate sounds and gestures.
- Sing Nursery Rhymes and Songs: Sing nursery rhymes, songs, and simple chants with children. This exposes them to the rhythmic and melodic aspects of language.
- Play with Sounds: Make playful sounds and noises such as clapping, tapping, and humming and encourage children to mimic these sounds.
- Introduce Rhymes: Expose children to rhyming words and play rhyming games.
- Imitate Sounds: Encourage children to imitate animal, vehicle, and other object sounds. This helps them become aware of different sounds in the environment.
- Listen and Respond: Pay close attention to children’s babbling and attempts to communicate and respond with enthusiasm and encouragement.
- Use Onomatopoeic Words: Use words that imitate sounds, like “buzz,” “moo,” or “chirp” to help children make connections between sounds and their meanings.
- Explore Environmental Sounds: Encourage children to listen to and identify various environmental sounds, such as birds chirping, a car honking, or water running.
- Provide Sound Making Toys: Encourage children to interact with toys that produce sounds, such as musical instruments or toys that make different noises when pressed.
- Utilize Baby Sign Language: Introduce simple signs for common words (e.g., “more,” “eat,” “drink”) because it helps children associate gestures with specific sounds and meanings.
- Repeat and Reinforce Language: Repeat sounds, words, and simple phrases to reinforce language sounds and patterns.
Remember to keep these activities enjoyable and age-appropriate. The goal is to create a rich language environment that fosters curiosity, engagement, and early language development in young children.
Lynne Hall, Research Associate, holds a Master of Science in Education and an Indiana instructional teaching license (Early Childhood Education and Services; Elementary/Primary Generalist; Elementary/Intermediate Generalist). She formerly taught preschool in a variety of settings for over 15 years. Her expertise includes early literacy instruction, equity in early childhood education, and inclusive classroom practices.
Email her at hallma@iu.edu
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