For the last year, I've been studying early childhood literacy, reading ridiculous amounts of research about how kids learn to read and what adults can do to help. It's made a difference in the way I treat my own kid, so I figured what the heck - why not share?
If you want to have a smart, book-loving, academically successful kid...
...talk to him. Scads of research shows the number one thing you can do to build your kid's vocabulary, word skills, and future academic success is to talk to him. Talk to him when he's two days old and you wonder if there's anything to him besides saliva, a voice box, and a fully functional rectum. Talk to him when he's a toddler and you can't get him to hold still for two seconds together. Talk to him on the potty, at the park, in the car, and in the bathtub. Talk to him in the grocery store while you're buying food. Talk to him while you're doing dishes and scrubbing toilets. Talk to him wherever, whenever.
Talk to him about the weather, about the hazards of washing the coloreds and the whites together, about the gross national product of Djibouti, about how much you love the Denver Broncos, about where the geese go when it gets cold. It doesn't matter what you talk about, so long as you do the talking. Books on tape, overheard conversations, and, Lord forbid, Baby Einstein DVDs just don't have the same effect. He needs to hear you, to see your face, to watch your mouth move, and to observe what you look at. He needs to learn about the give and take of normal conversations, ones in which he can babble and you respond to him. It cannot be overstated. TALK TO YOUR CHILD.
...read to her. Books use vocabulary that you might not think of in normal conversations. Besides, it introduces children to the idea that sounds correlate with words on a page and letters in an alphabet. Show how text moves from left to right and top to bottom by following along with your finger as you read. Ask questions about the pictures, about the story, about the individual letters in the words. Ask her to make predictions and summarize when the book is finished. Help her get excited about books. Read them over and over until the book falls apart and you truly believe that if you have to say "I will not eat them, Sam-I-Am" one more time you might just upchuck green eggs and ham all over the floor. Do it because that's how she learns. Do it because one day, she'll be reciting the book along with you and suddenly understand that the words on the page and the words she's saying mean the same thing. And then she'll be reading.
...sing to him. It doesn't matter if you sound like Miley Cyrus without AutoTune. The point is not to show off your vocal stylings. Singing slows down language so that your kid can hear the individual sounds in the words, which heightens phonemic awareness. It works best if you sing songs meant for kids. Even if they're kind of stupid and pointless, most have language patterns that emphasize simple rhymes, something that will help your kid read later. Hand motions are good, too, because they foster gross motor control and help your little one remember the words. Clap the rhythms of songs and individual words to help your kid hear the differences in syllables, another pre-reading skill. If you're dead set against singing, do the same things with nursery rhymes.
...let her draw. Few things strike terror into the hearts of parents like the sight of a toddler with an uncapped marker, but it's the best way to help her learn to write. Have her sign her name on her drawings to help her understand that writing has meaning. Let her "help" you write the shopping list or a to-do note to yourself. Authentic writing tasks make writing real and make her feel important.
...let him play. Dramatic, "let's pretend" kind of play helps him to tell his own stories, something that increases linguistic skills, reading comprehension, and social skills. So when he tells you that you're a shoe monster and he's the Jello Knight of Destiny, roll with it.
...listen to her. Even if her words are more like spit bubbles and screams, ask her what she's done today. Work with her to retell the major event of her day as she saw it. Use her own words to reply back and lengthen her response. When she says, "baby cry," say, "Yeah, we heard that baby crying in the store today, didn't we? The mommy was holding him." It models correct grammar and vocabulary while making her feel like you listen, which you should do anyway.
...get him a library card. Go to story time. Check out new kids' books so you can give Green Eggs and Ham a rest for a while. Talk to the children's librarian for suggestions on books and programs. Introduce him to the wild world of books, including nonfiction.
So that's it - 800 pages of early literacy research condensed for your reading pleasure.
You're welcome.
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