Supporting Language and Literacy Skills from Birth-2 Years
September 1, 2021
Did you know that caregivers can support their child’s literacy and language skills from birth? The well-child visit is a great opportunity to discuss how parents can promote early literacy and language development, model reading with children, and praise parents for sharing books. A study published in the Journal of Developmental Psychology in 2020 showed that early parent-child book reading can reduce parental stress and improve the parent-child relationship over time [1]. Keep reading for a few tips from Reach Out and Read that you can share with families during your next visit!
Reading with babies:
- Tell caregivers to hold their baby on their lap while they read.
- Let parents know that babies like board books, pictures of babies, rhymes and songs from the same book over and over, and when they point at pictures – this is how babies learn!
Reading with a 1-year-old:
- Let toddlers move around while reading.
- Encourage parents to name the pictures – this is how toddlers learn new words.
- Encourage parents to read labels and signs wherever they go.
- Toddlers like the same book over and over; a book at bedtime; to choose and hold the book; books about food, trucks, animals, and children; and books with few words.
Reading with a 2-year-old:
- Encourage parents to read labels and signs wherever they go.
- Tell parents to keep different books around the house and let the child choose.
- Two-year-olds like to help turn the pages, to fill in the words in a story they know, to point and name pictures; to hear the same book over and over, books that are silly; and animal books and animal noises.