It is your child’s experience with reading and writing skills before she learns how to read and write words. Emergent literacy involves your child in the process of becoming literate.
Picture book reading and story reading should be one of the most common forms of interaction that occur between you and your child. While reading to your child point out different words to help her make connections between the print and the pictures.
It is important to remember that emergent literacy begins at home.
Two year olds who live in a home environment that includes lots of reading and writing will develop reading and writing skills before they start school. As she understands her environment, your two year old will select and focus on important aspects of literacy, one of which is written language.
Two year olds are immersed in written language. They see books, newspapers, magazines, and words on screen. Parents must show their children that reading, writing, and talking about words occurs in everyday life and serves different purposes.
Immersion in reading and writing will help your child develop a love of learning that can last a lifetime.
Create a supportive environment for your two year old’s emergent literacy development. You can do this by trying the following:
1. Read as much as possible to your child and have many books available for your child to look through and pretend to read as she f lips the pages.
2. Allow your child to explore with tools for writing and drawing (such as pencils and crayons).
3. Make simple labels in your child’s room. For example, label the drawer where your child puts her socks by writing the word SOCKS on white paper or on an index card in large, black, capital letters.
4. Talk with your child about writing. When you write something down, draw her attention to it. Say things such as “I am leaving a note so they know where we went.”
