Yes, we know, vocabulary development is important! But just how important is it? Research tells us that “vocabulary is very important to reading comprehension; readers need to know the meanings of individual words to understand the text as a whole” and “oral language is a predictor of a range of expressive skills beyond comprehension, including… Read more »
Tag: Oral Language
A Breath of Fresh Air: Tips for Developing Early Literacy Skills in the Spring
As we know, and research supports, young children’s literacy development is crucial to building a foundation for future language acquisition, communication skills, and later reading success (National Early Literacy Panel [NELP], 2008). Springtime provides a wonderful opportunity to foster children’s literacy skills by offering new experiences and vibrant outdoor settings that can ignite children’s natural… Read more »
Yes, Rest Time Reading Matters!
Whether it be naptime or bedtime, reading to young children before they go to sleep fosters several developmental skills, including language acquisition, cognitive growth, and emotional bonding. A consistent rest time reading routine promotes early literacy and strengthens the caregiver-child relationship which supports future learning and well-being. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits… Read more »
Making Story Time Magical: Fun Ways to Involve Young Children
Engaging young minds by making story time interactive fosters their early literacy and cognitive skills development. Caregivers and educators can significantly enhance language acquisition, imagination, and social skills by making story time interactive. Recent research has found that interactive story time has a positive impact on children’s brain development, imagination, language, and learning. Interactive story… Read more »
The Ultimate in Multi-Tasking: Developing Early Literacy Skills During Chores
So much to do and so little time. When you are busy trying to get everything done, it’s easy to overlook the potential for teaching early literacy skills during everyday chores. However, research suggests that daily tasks like picking up, cooking, washing dishes, folding laundry, and cleaning offer rich, natural opportunities for children to develop… Read more »
Growing Minds and Hearts: How Early Literacy Supports Social-Emotional Learning
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – a time when people often focus on kindness, love, and generosity- and the perfect time to think about the connection between literacy and social emotional learning. While the role early literacy activities play in fostering cognitive skills, such as language development and literacy proficiency is well… Read more »
Making Winter Literacy Magic
Brrr! For many of us winter is here and it can be daunting to think about how to keep young children engaged during the chilly months ahead. However, winter offers an opportunity to engage children in unique hands-on interactive seasonal-themed activities that promote early literacy skills development. Let’s explore some strategies for supporting early literacy… Read more »
Supporting Early Literacy by Leveraging Cultural Diversity During the Holidays and Beyond
Celebrating holidays in early childhood settings is not only fun and exciting, it offers additional opportunities to develop children’s early literacy skills by connecting lessons to occasions occurring both in the context of their daily lives and cultures and those around the world. Holiday literacy lessons involve books, dramatic play, drawing/writing, cooking, crafts, games, etc. … Read more »
From Twinkle, Twinkle to ABC: The Magic of Music in Early Literacy
Music plays an important role in supporting early literacy development. Research shows that integrating music into early childhood education can enhance phonological awareness, vocabulary acquisition, and motor skills which are foundational to reading and writing. Let’s take a closer look at how music fosters early literacy skills. Music Promotes Phonological Awareness Phonological awareness is the… Read more »
Create and Read: How Crafting Supports Early Literacy Skills
It’s that time of year again. The holidays are approaching and we start thinking about all the fun crafts we can do with our little ones. Yes, crafts are fun and cute, but as with all activities, be sure to consider what makes crafting meaningful for young children and always consider the purpose of the… Read more »