This post was co-written by Admit NY and Grow with Beck, an early childhood education company in New York City. 

Literacy is one of life’s most basic skills, and one of the major learning milestones that many parents eagerly anticipate as they raise their children. But however fundamental reading might seem, most parents don’t automatically know how to promote literacy with their child.

Don’t worry: your child’s school (preschool, kindergarten, early elementary school) will take on most of the responsibility of teaching your child exactly how to begin reading. But there’s a great deal that you and your family can do to promote literacy and set your child up for success when it’s time to start actually learning to read. 

There are a number of ways for you to nurture your child’s early literacy: 

Most importantly: read TO and AROUND your kids. You can begin reading to your child in their earliest days as a newborn, and keep the habit going as they grow into an infant and toddler. Even if kids are way too young to understand how to read themselves, a great deal of research has shown that early exposure to reading is correlated with all sorts of positive outcomes in your child’s life. And equally important to reading to your child, make sure you also read around them. When children observe their parents reading for leisure, it serves as a lifelong model for a rich relationship with books. If you don’t have the time or energy to read full books, don’t worry - modeling reading newspapers, signs, recipes, or anything else in your environment can also make your child eager to read. It’s also a good idea to keep books accessible all throughout the house, not just in your child’s bedroom; encourage them to pick up a book in the hallway, the kitchen, or even the bathroom. Reading is everywhere!

Monitor your child’s interest in reading, and encourage that interest where possible. If your child is asking a lot of questions about letters, sounds, rhyming, printed words, books, etc. - that’s literacy interest! Make observations about when your child is asking these questions: is it when you’re reading together? Do they initiate reading on their own? Do they ask questions about letters and words when they’re out in the world? Wherever and whenever your child seems interested in literacy, try to display a positive, upbeat attitude about how fun it is to read.

But don’t overdo it. Parents can sometimes go overboard in promoting literacy, to the point that kids actually turn away from reading because they feel forced. You can usually tell if a child is being pushed too hard toward reading when they show some resistance or power struggle around reading or practicing letters. They might also demonstrate their disengagement by getting very silly when you engage with words or books. However their disinterest manifests, do your best to respect it and back off for a while so your child can naturally return to a healthy interest in literacy.

Make literacy fun with light, easy games and activities that promote phonics. Here are a few suggestions: play silly word games, like asking your child for a string of jumbled letters and trying to pronounce the gibberish word. Instead of repeatedly asking your child to sound out letters, try to make frequent, casual observations of letters in the world around you - like on a street sign, “look, this street starts with the letter A. That sounds like ‘a.’” And build letters and words into play - for instance, while playing restaurant, only “serve” foods that start with a particular sound (carrot, cucumber, cake). 

Any small efforts you can make to promote your child’s interest in letters, words, and written materials will be important groundwork for their teachers to introduce the actual mechanics of reading in the classroom. These efforts are particularly important in the summer months or during extended school breaks, when it’s important to keep your child’s mind active so they don’t lose momentum. Above all, stay excited for the wonderful reading adventures awaiting your family!

Looking for guidance on promoting literacy and other fundamental skills with your young child? Grow with Beck is a personalized early childhood education company - reach out today to learn more. And if you’re exploring your child’s next educational steps, reach out to Admit NY for comprehensive admissions guidance in New York City.