Literacy Begins at Birth

photo by takomabibelot

We have talked repeatedly here on the LBBC about how important it is for parents to take their children's literacy development into their own hands. In fact, many parents don't realize that literacy begins at birth, and there are a lot of ways that they can begin to develop their child's literacy skills during their infant and toddler years. Here are three...

Read, read, read

Reading aloud to your baby is the single most effective thing you can do to help him or her develop a  love of reading and writing. Not only does this special time help parents to bond with their child, but it also provides valuable stimulation to the child's brain, allowing them to learn about sentence structure, increase vocabulary, build listening skills, and introduces key concepts such as numbers, colors, shapes, emotions... the list is endless.

Visit the bilingual website, ReadToYourBaby.com, to learn more about the value of reading to your baby. They offer an informative site in both English and Spanish, with tips for what to read and even how to read to your child.


Listen to music

There's a reason that parents all over the world instinctively croon lullabies to their children. It's the same reason that children often learn the ABC song before they can recite the alphabet verbally. Music provides a natural and rhythmic way of learning. Elementary teachers already know this, which is why our children often come home from school singing short songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "London Bridge."

You can read all about the fascinating connection between music and literacy on the Literacy Connections website, and in this article in Psychology Today.


Keep them busy

There are so many seemingly unrelated activities that your child can do, which will help to develop their literacy skills. From helping mami to cook to drawing a picture, your child acquires and masters the various skills necessary to be able to read or write.

Tonya from Room to Grow has a fabulous post that lists 50 Literacy Activities for Babies. You might be surprised at some of the activities that have found their way onto that list, but you'll be delighted to have somewhere to go for inspiration, too!