As educational professionals, we cannot overstate the importance of children’s ability to read. Literacy development starts at birth and grows during early childhood as teachers and educational therapists talk to their kids and read aloud from books.
Research points out a fundamental relationship between the ability to read competently before third grade and secondary school graduation, postsecondary and professional success, and poverty avoidance. Furthermore, studies also show that early literacy corresponds with academic achievement, lowered grade retention, and increased productivity in adult life.
Introducing kids to early reading activities and texts at a young age promotes a later interest and proficiency in reading. For example, kids in preschool who have had the chance to develop rudimentary foundational skills in literacy and language arrive at kindergarten more prepared to learn how to read and write.
Ideally, educators should regularly provide children with explicit teaching in early reading activities, English vocabulary, and chances to speak and hear the language during the day.
Reading to a student for at least thirty minutes per day is a crucial literacy-building undertaking that can lead to success and healthy development in their education.
Early literacy strategies like identifying and understanding pictures, seeing, gesturing, and scribbling provide a strong foundation for reading and writing. In this article, we’ve identified seven early literacy strategies for reading that teachers and educational therapists can utilize in the classroom to help children develop a lasting love of literacy.
1. Vocabulary Acquisition
Developing children’s vocabulary at a young age helps them expand their “background knowledge,” which they can utilize in future learning. The more developed your student’s vocabulary, the less challenging time they will have understanding how to read and completing school coursework. Fortunately, the human brain–especially a child’s brain–grasps new information by attaching it to old data, making new concepts easier to comprehend.
So, use books and storytime to grow your student’s vocabulary through early literacy strategies like specifying essential words. As you read to them, explain the definition of targeted words that the student might not know. Feature new vocabulary words with a corresponding symbol or visual depiction. Make it a point to introduce unfamiliar or fascinating new words in every learning activity.
2. Sight Words
Basic sight words, or high-frequency words, are words that students can instantly recognize when reading. Students should be so familiar with sight words that they don’t have to stop and decode them. Children can read with increased fluency when they can distinguish these words immediately. Here’s a list of common sight words: a, the, of, and, you, is, it, in, that.
As a practical application, ask your student to count the number of times they can find a sight word in a paragraph, passage, or book chapter. Then, ask them to read each sight word’s sentence to understand how and why the author uses each word. Complete this activity for each sight word.
3. Text Selection
When selecting an age-appropriate text for children to read, try to choose high-quality materials that students can create deep connections with and relate to. For example, one literacy strategy is to alter aspects of the book to meet a student’s distinct interests and needs, such as using props and concrete objects to correspond with pictures.
Incorporate color, tactile cues, and textures to make the story more accessible to the student. Also, try adding sounds and movements that correspond with the characters’ actions to enliven the story. As students begin to identify messages, words, and images more readily, you will witness their confidence increasing as they start reading successfully.
4. Emergent Writing
Early writers can benefit from utilizing emergent forms of writing, which are a young student’s initial attempts at imitating the writing process. Emergent writing includes random letter strings, scribble writing, and original spelling.
To encourage children to discover multiple ways to communicate written messages, create a classroom writing space that has writing utensils, paper, book-making materials, etc. Provide children with functional writing opportunities that correspond with classroom activities, such as:
- Sign-up sheets for classroom locations
- Checkout slips for library books
- Classroom signs
- Bathroom or hall passes
- Name tags for each student
- Play-related materials, such as a notepad and pen for writing down orders at a restaurant play center
5. Repetition
Many educators agree that repetition is a reading strategy for successful learning. It can help increase speed, boost confidence, and fortify connections in the brain to help students learn.
Repetition is also an essential learning aid since it can shift a skill from the conscious to the subconscious. By reading aloud to students once or twice each day, educators can expose them to various stories, pieces, poems, and informational texts.
Additionally, consider reading from the exact text regularly, which builds familiarity and makes it easier for students to improve their vocabulary. Repeated readings of the same books can encourage students to read independently without assistance, which increases the chances that the child will try to read the book on their own.
6. Experiential Learning
Sir Richard Branson once said, “You don’t learn by following rules. You learn by doing and by falling over.” Supplement students’ learning with concrete experience by providing opportunities to encounter hands-on activities that are entertaining, purposeful, and representative.
For example, a book about the zoo would be more meaningful if the student had the opportunity to visit an actual zoo to see different types of animals, feel how large they are, hear their noises, identify what they eat, etc. Experiential learning has many benefits, such as creating real-world relevance, providing opportunities for creativity and reflection, accelerated learning, and preparation for adult life after graduation.
7. Whole Body Learning
According to Edutopia, the body increases the brain’s memory, and when the body is active, so is the brain. When students learn a new word, have them clap syllables or trace letters in the air with their fingers. Sing songs, dance, and use chalk to draw pictures or write letters on the chalkboard or ground.
When getting students’ attention, have students practice whole-body listening by keeping their eyes on the educator, hands folded, mouths closed, and ears “open.” Another fun activity is to have students toss around a beach ball with characters, words, or symbols in different colors. When they catch the ball, they must identify or name what they’ve caught according to where their thumbs land.
In conclusion, our therapy staffing experts hope that our recommended early literacy strategies will prepare your students to become proficient readers and writers in the coming years. As we have reiterated, a strong background in early literacy can help lead to future academic achievement in the secondary classroom and success in the postsecondary and professional realms.
Educators, which early literacy strategies have you tried in your classroom? We want to hear your thoughts. Let us know in the comments below!
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