Zero to Three – Early Language and Literacy
This is a HUGE site with a plethora of information so go slow. There are activities, articles , author Q&A and so much more. I love some of their activities too- they have many that include sensory experiences, and all types of learning! This is exciting to me as an educator because often times learning to read has been stuck in a work sheets and flash card abyss, it's nice to see we have broken out of that mold for good!
This is a good page, but not as easy to find things or read tid bits at a time. They have a fantastic checklist for parents about providing a home environment that will help foster a reader though. Most of this page seems more geared towards the PreK- School age crowd but it is still very useful for parents of toddlers. They have a great resources page too.
This is a state of Maine initiative but I have posted it because it's very to the point and reader friendly, which really means it's short enough that you may be able to read it while your child is awake an ]playing quietly for 4 minutes! There are basic checklists and good lists of what parents can expect their children to be doing at various stages from birth to 5.
Please do not forget to go to your local library, I can not stress how fantastic a resource a children's librarian is!
I hope these sites can be useful for you if not today in the near future, remember kindergarten teachers aren't magicians ( superheroes perhaps!), kids start learning how to read the day they are born. We don't have to push them , we just need to be there to support them!
Allie holds a degree in elementary education with a focus on early literacy, you can see everything else she does at No Time For Flashcards.
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I love to read, and I cannot imagine what my mother did when I was little to encourage this. She was quite hands off. Anyway, since i love books I really wanted my daughter to feel the same way. I started reading to her in the beginning. Maybe she was three weeks old. It was just one more thing I did where she didn't cry. I think at our reading peak, we read 30 books a day. Crazy yes, but she would just keep bringing them. She is almost 2.5 and I credit her advanced verbal skills to all the books I read. We still read, not 30 books a day, but 5 to 10. I guess now they are longer, wordier books, so maybe it evens out. I think reading to your child is one of the best gifts to give. Great article Allie.
check out the charity bridgeofbooks, donating new and slightly used books to kids who have NO access to books throughout NJ. READ ACROSS AMERICA is in March !!!! promote reading and donating books to kids who can not get their hands on any.
My favorite books growing up we're from Parent's Magazine Press-Book of the Month Club…way back in the sixties and seventies. I've found most of them on Ebay and now read them to my kids.
I wholeheartedly support reading, especially for kids. Reading material on the Internet or ebooks are fine but there is something really magical and romantic about holding a book in your hands and flipping through the pages! I only hope that kids today still get to experience this kind of simple nostalgia someday. Let's continue supporting local libraries too. Reading will never go out of style!