Early Literacy

How can I help my preschooler with her writing skills?

The following articles will give you an idea of the types of skills that very young children should be demonstrating:

• Literacy Milestones: Ages 3-4
• Literacy Milestones: Age 5
• Literacy Milestones: Age 6

Incorporating reading and writing into everyday fun activities, such as reading a recipe and baking together, writing a grocery list, and sending notes to each other, is one of the best ways parents can help develop pre-literacy skills in their very young children. Allow your preschooler to scribble letters without correction, use letter magnets and stamps, and take dictation while she tells you her ideas. In this way, she will discover the joy, power, and practicality of literacy and will be inspired to learn more as she is ready.

The following articles may give you ideas of ways to encourage your child’s writing skills in playful, fun, and developmentally appropriate ways:

• Tips for Parents to Encourage Writing
• Writing Leads to Reading
• 25 Activities for Reading and Writing Fun
• Written Language: Practical Ideas for Parents
• The Early Years Are Learning Years
• Fun Reading Tips and Activities

One of the most valuable gifts that you can give your child is to instill in her a love of reading and writing and a genuine curiosity and desire to learn. She will take this gift with her throughout her lifetime.

My daughter just started preschool and I have noticed that sometimes she writes letters backwards. Should I be concerned?

Writing letters backwards is a normal part of developing writing skills in preschool. If you have other reasons to suspect dyslexia (like parents or relatives with dyslexia, or problems identifying sounds or learning to say the alphabet), you should continue to monitor her progress and document your observations in case you see signs of a bigger problem.

Keep practicing with her by doing fun writing activities at home, like writing a shopping list, or writing a letter to a relative. Most of her early mistakes will be part of the process of learning to write, so model the right way, but don't hold her to it too early! She is in an experimentation phase with this skill.

The Reading Rockets website has articles that may be of interest to you as you help your child learn to read, including sections on writing and developmental milestones.

I would like to start teaching my 9-month old how to read, but he usually plays with books rather than reading them. How can I help him become a reader?

It is great that you want to help your child become a good reader! There are lots of ways to support these skills at every stage of his development.

At his age, he will probably not be holding books and noticing printed words. He is at a tactile stage, which means he will want to touch everything and explore his environment by putting objects in his mouth, throwing them, and otherwise conducting little experiments on his physical environment. This is normal and necessary for his development! (That's why board books are great for infants and toddlers.)

The way he will learn the proper way to use books is by watching you read and having early exposure to books. Keep reading with him, even if he doesn't really understand it, but don't force him to sit still or turn pages gracefully! He will begin to do this as he gets older.

My child is 18 months old and is not yet speaking, but understands commands and responds to directions. What can I do to help her develop her language skills?

Each child develops language at her own rate. Typically children say their first word around one year of age and then slowly acquire more words. Some children can say around 70 words at 18 months, however others take longer to get started. The key is that your child's receptive language, meaning what she understands, is not delayed. A typical child at 18 months can follow directions, point to a number of pictures in books, point to objects/people in their environment when asked, and point to several body parts.

Reading to your child makes the biggest difference in language development and future reading skills. Also, imitate and expand on your daughter's attempts to speak. If she says, "Uh-oh," you say, "Uh-oh, we spilled the milk!" If she still isn't talking by her second birthday, talk with your doctor and consider an evaluation by an early intervention specialist. This may ease your concerns if you continue to have them.

Check LD OnLine's Speech & Language and Early Identification sections for more information.

Also see the Reading Rockets section on developmental milestones for speaking and reading.

What types of books should I have available for my young reader? Do you have any specific book recommendations?

To keep your child engaged with reading, you should keep a wide variety of books on hand, and make sure to include books on topics that interest him. In your book collection, keep books that your child currently enjoys so he can read them over and over again (repeat readings are great – they help kids feel comfortable with the story and begin "reading" it along with you!). You should also add new books regularly, and make them a little more advanced than his current collection. He will let you know – probably through a lack of interest – when a book is too difficult. Picture books are good because they allow you to point out words and help him begin to recognize letters and their associated sounds. Pictures also give clues to the story for young children who are just grappling with language–learning, but if he can follow the plot of a book without pictures, that's wonderful! The important thing is to go at his pace, but maintain a rich and varied literary environment.

For more information on reading to young children, check the following section of our site:

• Early Literacy Development

We also have a great list of recommended books for kids by theme, award winning books, etc. that you can order directly from amazon.com through our site.

• Book Recommendations