This document discusses the key early literacy skills that children need to develop before learning to read, including narrative skills, print motivation, vocabulary, phonological awareness, print conventions, letter knowledge, and background knowledge. It recommends five practices for teaching these skills: reading, writing, talking, playing, and singing and rhyming. The talking practice emphasizes having conversations with children and aiming for at least five turns between the adult and child.

1. Teaching children
what they need to know
before they learn to read.
Every Child Ready to Read® @ your library®,
PLA and ALSC logos are registered trademarks
of the American Library Association and are used with permission.

2. Narrative Skills
Telling Stories
Good Narrative Skills help children remember what they
have read; they develop good comprehension skills.

3. Print Motivation
Loving books & reading
Children who love shared reading
will work hard to learn to read.

4. Vocabulary
Knowing the names of things
 Children who start school with a large vocabulary become
better readers and are more successful in school than those
who do not.

5. Phonological Awareness
Sounds--hearing small sounds in words & letters
●Children who can hear the sounds in
letters and syllables will be able to sound
out unfamiliar words when they begin
to learn to read.

6. Print Conventions
Print Awareness—noticing print all around—in signs and labels
Children begin making a
connection between print and
the spoken word.
Children know how to
follow words on a page.

7. Letter Knowledge
Knowing about letters
● Children know that the same letter looks different—and
that letters have sounds.

8. Background Knowledge
Background Knowledge is what children already know.
● Children learn by building on what they know, so the more
background knowledge they have, the easier learning to read—
and learning are.
Learning about ice,
snow, & color when
we paint with snow!

9. These 5 Practices Teach the
Skills
Studies show that the best ways to teach the skills are through
these 5 practices:

10. Reading
Reading is the single most important thing we can do with our
children to get them ready to learn to read.
BUT how children experience shared reading makes a
difference.
Involve your child as you read and ALWAYS keep it fun!

11. Writing
● Writing and reading develop side
by side.
● Writing includes scribbling,
coloring, and all kinds of crafting.
● Writing helps children learn
that print has meaning—
along with small motor
and eye-hand coordination.

12. Talking
Talking is key to helping children
get ready to learn to read.
●Talk a lot—even with
your baby.
●Think aloud.
●Verbalize and imitate
your child's gestures
and babbles.
●Use a wide variety
of words.

13. Talking—Strive for 5
Have conversations—ask questions & count to 5 before
prompting or answering.
Aim for at least 5 turns between adult and child (adult-child;
adult-child; adult-child...)
Answer for your young children and keep the conversation
going—but imitate their
babbling responses, too.
Ask your older child
open-ended questions.

14. Playing
Talking is easy during play.
When children pretend, they
are getting ready to put
meaning to the printed word.
Children can learn every early literacy skill during play, especially
when parents are involved at their
child's level.

15. Singing (& Rhyming)
● Teach the rhythm and sounds of language and words.
● Teach listening skills, rhyme and vocabulary.

16. Children need to be taught all the
early literacy skills—from birth!

17. Together we can all help our
children get ready to learn to
read!