Early Literacy and Child Development Resources and Ideas

Providing caregivers and young children resources to help them develop the skills they need to flourish in school and in life is one of the joyful responsibilities of public libraries.  There are many ways to do that, through collections, formal programming, invitations and spaces for play, self-directed activities, partnerships, and one-on-one interactions with children and caregivers.  There are many entry points, and this article is intended as a jumping-off point, with suggestions of resources to learn more.

Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy, which is free for library workers from anywhere to join, has a variety of excellent resources, including (but not limited to):

• Program ideas and resources related to School Readiness
• Tips for storytimes, including Spanish storytimes, tips for choosing books, and suggestions for early literacy tips to share with adults
• Information about six important early literacy skills:
  • Print Motivation (being interested in and enjoying books)
  • Print Awareness (noticing print everywhere, knowing how to handle a book, and knowing how to follow the written word on the page)
  • Letter Knowledge (knowing that letters are different from each other, knowing letter names and sounds, and recognizing letters everywhere)
  • Vocabulary (knowing all kinds of words)
  • Phonological Awareness (hearing and playing with the smaller sounds of words)
  • Narrative Skills (describing things and events, telling stories, knowing the order of events, and making predictions)
• Information about five early literacy practices, and how they help with developing the six early literacy skills :
  • Talking
  • Singing
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Playing
• CLEL Bell Awards, for books that exemplify the five early literacy practices in English and in Spanish

IFLS Storytime Resources is a popular resource that links to other amazing resources for help when planning storytimes.  Look for:

• Storytime How-To includes suggestions for everyone, and especially for those new to storytime!
• Storytime Templates includes a suggested schedule for storytimes–but remember to put your own spin on things and do what works for your kids, yourself, and your library.
• Storytime Resources includes resources for fingerplays and songs, arts and crafts, STEM, child and brain development, and ways to make storytime more inclusive for all children and families.

1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a program that some libraries use to promote reading to young children.