Sheila Woldenberg
Early Childhood Director
Temple Dor Dorim
2360 Glades Cir.
Weston, FL 33327
954.389.1232
Building literacy at home can be loads of fun! All it requires is you being present in the moment. The best ways are playing and interacting with your little one. Children learn best through “teachable moments” that come from loving interactions with the important people in their lives.
There’s so much you can do to encourage your child’s early literacy.
Birth to 2 years:
• Encourage your baby to make sounds and maintain good eye contact. Imitate your baby’s laughter and expressions. Teach your baby to imitate your actions.
• Talk as you bathe, dress and feed your baby. Talk about what you are doing, where you’re going and who you’ll see when you get there.
• Use gestures like waving goodbye to help convey meaning.
• Read to your child. Choose simple books that are sturdy and have large colorful pictures. Encourage naming and pointing to familiar objects in the book.
2 to 4 years:
• Repeat what your child has said. For example, if he said, “want water” you say, “Do you want water?”.
• Make books for your child that they can relate to with familiar photographs. Children love to look at themselves and other family members. You can make a page for mommy, daddy, both sets of grandparents, etc.
• Sing simple songs and read nursery rhymes to show the rhythm and pattern of speech.
• Read together, draw pictures, tell stories, sing songs, play games and make up funny rhymes.
• Before reading, look at the book cover, talk about the parts of the book and have conversations about what might happen in the story. Ask questions before, during and after reading aloud.
Building early literacy at home doesn’t take fancy toys or breaking your wallet. It’s those loving interactions with lots of talking and reading to your child that will do the job. Find time to read to your child. It’s worth it!
